As unbelievable as it may seem, this year’s Glastonbury was drenched in sunshine, with no mud-fights to be seen at all! The fact that it was the 40^th anniversary was another reason to celebrate. But it’s not just the partygoers that benefit from the atmosphere and musical extravaganzas, for many charities it is one of the most important events of the summer calendar.  

Charities have long been associated with the Glastonbury festival. With its eco-friendly vibe it’s only natural that organisations such as Greenpeace, WaterAid, and Oxfam have a strong presence there. In fact some may not realise exactly how much of this festival is run for and by charities. Many have their own areas, and some run their own stages independently. Many of the thousands of volunteers are provided by Oxfam, who in return get a large donation from the festival organisers. Each year, most of the profits that are made at Glastonbury are donated back to various charities. A ‘virtuous circle’ you may say!  

Our own charity radar report, which tracks almost 90 UK charities, also proves what a big impact this event has on the sector. Our June report shows that as an organisation itself, Glastonbury was far and away the most prolific mentioned over the month. Around 45 different charities were mentioned within coverage that featured Glastonbury, and WaterAid was the most prominent charity, benefiting from a lot of press coverage when Prince Charles, who is also President of WaterAid, stopped by to meet volunteers.  

The National Trust also featured heavily, as they lit up St Michael’s Tower on Glastonbury Tor to celebrate the festival’s 40^th anniversary. This helped to boost their coverage, and this month they reached 44% of charity donors, the highest reach within the arts/culture sector in our Radar report.  

Looking back to 2009’s report from June, this year saw almost three times as many pieces mentioning Glastonbury in 2010. It will be interesting see how many turn up in next year’s report!