Community is about people. By becoming a Festival Helper, and assisting with the Oyster Festival in any way, you are giving something back to the community whilst gaining rewarding experiences and life-skills along the way.

Previous Festival Helpers have found this out for themselves:

“Just wanted to e-mail and thank you for giving me such a wonderful experience as a volunteer at this year’s Oyster Festival. There were moments of pain and moments of pleasure - going way outside my normal comfort zone.”

“Meeting lots of new people and just being out there away from my usual day behind a desk and a computer…”

“As for The Whitstable Wishes, well - what can I say? They were absolutely breathtaking - what a fantastic idea! I have looked at the pictures and seen the video on You Tube - a privilege to take part in it and a very moving experience, which I shall treasure always.”

The Whitstable Oyster Festival Association is keen to ensure that Festival Helpers have a positive experience that they can take forward into further involvement within their community and other pursuits. This ethos was recognised in 2008 by WOFA’s inclusion in the Kent County Council’s Volunteering Excellence awards.

The type of opportunities that are available for anyone, aged 18 or over, include:

Selling of programmes - Manning information points - Assisting individual event organisers - Preparing and clearing event venues - Assisting Stewards with audiences - Assisting with merchandise - Meeting and greeting - General guides, facilities and events - And anything else that needs doing!

Some of these may only require an hour or so, others longer. The overall objective is that everyone – residents, visitors, event participants and you, have an enjoyable and safe time as well as showing just what makes Whitstable and its people so special.

If you wish to gain this experience and have it documented for your C.V. we are happy to provide a report of your achievements. As the aims of the Festival are wide reaching and cover many cultural aspects of life this could be of benefit in defining your social awareness.

The next step to applying is to give us a few details about you and your preferences. There are no right or wrong answers. This is purely so that we can provide the roles that are most suitable for you. This information will only be held by the Whitstable Oyster Festival Association and the Events Department of Canterbury City Council for this purpose and will be removed at your request.

Festival Helper Application

Bold fields are mandatory.