Every year, Everything is Possible welcomes dozens of young people from all around Europe and the world to help on a project ran by us (as part of the Green Messengers) to keep Leeds Festival environmentally friendly.

Recycling

The main activities take place at Leeds Music Festival – one of the biggest festivals in the country at which the capacity is 80,000 people. During 2 weeks volunteers with the support of Everything is Possible oversee the recycling of drinks receptacles and encourage other campers to recycle their rubbish by dispensing refuse sacks around the public campsites and creating recycling points for campers to be able to separate their waste.
Here are two videos which explains what volunteers do:

 

Salvage

After the festival volunteers are involved in the salvaging of good quality camping equipment that is so often left behind by festival-goers overly keen to vacate the park. This equipment is sorted and distributed to local community groups and charities in the days following the festival.
Last year our action helped 50 organisations (Organisations working with scouts, refugees or homeless people for example) from all around Yorkshire, Lancashire and even Norfolk and West Midlands. Here are a view of the impact we add in 2013:

And 2014:

We passed onto them more than 400 tents, 350 sleeping bags and 300 roll mats and tonnes of camping items which are left behind at Leeds Festival, equipment which has often only been used for one weekend. This action is very well received by local community organisations as many really needs this equipment for their own activities.

“Thank you for all of your support the salvage operation which has been amazing.. ‘Everything is possible’ – the project whose volunteers did the work of collecting all the sleeping bags and some mats. I can only say a huge thank you to them and appreciate all the support they are giving us. Without volunteers at Refugee Council including volunteers at ‘Everything is possible’ and Raphael, likely it would not have been possible to support our clients in this way. Now we have enough sleeping bags for the winter months and the coming months for the most vulnerable, destitute refugees and people seeking asylum. Thank you again to everyone for their support, most appreciated.” – Khami Miraf, Refugee Council (Leeds).

You can read more by clicking here.

Media coverage

Our action is well known and has even been covered by the BBC:

And not only the BBC as you can see on this other video:

 

Impact on the  young people:

This project has a huge impact on the young people. This is a fantastic opportunity to give to young people who couldn’t normally access this kind of event the chance to see their favourite bands while helping the local community and environment.

‘This project was one of the best adventures in my life! A lot of fun and great people! Music <3” – Adrian (POLAND)

”I didn’t know 2 weeks can be so enriching. I feel more “open” now, anyway the environment, the atmosphere and the people with who you’re working push you to open yourself ( Yep.. sounds kinda silly, but true ! )” – Victor (FRANCE)

You can read more volunteers feedback by clicking here.

 

About Everything is Possible’s sport project with Disabled people.