The theme for Greenbelt this year was "Heaven in Ordinary". I still think it a strange theme, but at least I managed to experience something that lived up to it.
Working as a Steward Manager and part of ops is fun, enjoyable and also sometimes weird. Certainly Greenbelt is very different for the small group of us involved at this level. And it can be very difficult to get to see things. There is now a policy that we should pick at least one thing and make sure we get to it. I failed to see Billy Bragg, who had been my choice, but I also feel that this is a bit fake anyway, setting a "target". I can enjoy Greenbelt without seeing a particular act because, to me, Greenbelt is about meeting with my friends and it is their friendship and us all working together that gives me strength and hope for the year ahead. The fact that a group of people from all kinds of walks of life can give of their time (Greenbelt is almost entirely run by volunteers) and work together to put on a festival for 17000-odd people constantly amazes me and it is wonderful to be part of that.
But, and this is the "Heaven in Ordinary" part, we are also lucky, indeed blessed in ops. Because we have an ops meeting just after lunch every day. And for the last couple of years one of the acts has come in and sung a couple of songs for us. This year we had Iain Archer on one day and Martyn Joseph on another, two singers who were top of my list to hear. I think it is reasonable to describe the ops meetings as "ordinary" (although a lot of the topics that arise aren't) and having a private gig for the 20-30 of us is certainly heaven.
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