Leeds Festival 2010

Gas Canisters - banned

For various reasons, mainly your and our staff’s safety, we have decided to bring our campsite policy in line with many other similar national events and we will not permit any gas canisters, cylinders or petrol cookers into the campsites, or anywhere on site, this year (exemption for gas canisters fitted within campervans).

We suggest that if you want to cook outside your tent that you bring disposable bbq’s only.  Anyone seen with canisters or cylinders will be ejected from site.  Please help up with this, plan ahead and have a great camping experience.

AEROSOLS over 250ml - banned

Anti-Social Behaviour

Fire Safety

What you should do if you discover a fire

You must get everyone out of the tent, evacuate the area as quickly as possible and get help from the nearest steward or security who will call the onsite Fire Team.

In the campsites you can go to the nearest Fire Tower (situated around the perimeter of the campsites and easily visible). In the unlikely event that you cannot find a member of security or steward nearby then please dial 999.

You may discover a fire in its very early stages and think that you can deal with it yourself. The first thing that you should remember is that fire spreads very quickly. Even a small contained fire can quickly spread, producing smoke and fumes which can kill in seconds.

If you are in any doubt do not tackle the fire, no matter how small. You can put yourself at risk by fighting the fire. If in doubt, get out, get the onsite Fire Safety Team out, stay out.

Many people put out small fires quite safely. However, some people die or are injured by tackling fires which are beyond their capabilities. Here is a simple fire code to help you decide whether to put out or get out - 

•  Only tackle a fire in its very early stages.
•  Always put your own and other peoples safety first. Make sure you can escape if you need to and never let a fire block your exit.
•  Fire extinguishers are only for fighting a fire in its very early stages. Never tackle a fire if it is starting to spread or has spread to other items nearby.
•  Around 70% of fire deaths are caused by people being overcome by smoke and fumes.

Toxic Fumes

Some festival goers have created bonfires in the past using personal items or items they have found lying around. Not only is this dangerous but it is also very polluting. Tents, metal poles and sleeping bags are extremely toxic when burnt.

Please, please do not burn them when we can put them to good use in the future. Look for the donation points in the campsite to place unwanted items, which will make their way to needy charities, and out of the hands of people wanting to pollute and destroy.

Staff

There are plenty of Customer Protection Officers and Customer Support Officers in the campsites again this year.

•  Customer Protection Officers are in white tabards and are supervisors.
•  Customer Support Officers are in bottle green tabards
•  Oxfam stewards are in yellow or orange tabards
•  Campsite Assistance Teams are in turquoise tabards
•  Traffic marshals are in royal blue tabards
•  Fire marshals are in red tabards
•  Zone Managers are in burgundy tabards and are overall managers of their zone.

If you have a complaint to make about Customer Protection or Support Officers, please make a note of their tabard number (so we can identify who you are referring to) and speak to one of the following:

Zone Managers - these are based in each campsite zone, at the arena entrance, and in the arena itself. They are dressed in burgundy coloured tabards with the title "Zone Manager" on them. Their role is to oversee their zone and to direct the actions of staff. They are completely independent from security and we have employed them in order that we have a manager in each area. Please use them.

Welfare staff - these are based in the Welfare Tent in the Village and at Yellow Gate. They are present in this tent 24 hours. They are dressed in tabards with Ministry of Welfare on them. Their role is to look after festival goers and they offer a complaints / suggestions feedback service. Please use them.

Please make good use of these staff and ask them if you need any help or if you have any concerns at all. All of the above will pass on your complaints and comments to Festival Republic straight away.

Crime Reduction

The following is advice from West Yorkshire Police:

While the vast majority of the people at the festival are there to have a good time, listen to great music, and build up a considerable amount of washing, there are some less than desirable characters who look to prey on festival goers.

We’ll be at the festival targeting these people and ensuring you get the most from your time there.

Please take a look at the tips below which can help protect you and your property and reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime.

BE SAFE

• While walking around the festival try to stay with friends, particularly at night
• Always take a torch with you. Chances are you won’t be back to your tent ‘till after dark
• Be aware of what’s around you and try not to walk around with headphones in
• Try to keep your valuables hidden- don’t flash them around. If you are going to take an ipod consider using an old pair of headphones
• Try to avoid carrying anything in your back pockets– the event is busier than Oxford Street, and pick pockets love it. Pockets with zips are the safest way to go
• Arrange an easy meeting point with your friends in case you case get split up and don’t have a mobile. Choose three times during the day where you can meet e.g.  2pm, 6pm and 1am
• Please be mindful about how much you drink. Excessive alcohol hampers your judgement and makes you a target for crimes like assault and robbery. These offences are fortunately rare but try to stay with friends and don’t put yourself in a vulnerable position

KEEP YOUR PROPERTY SAFE
 
• Try to keep any valuables you bring to a bare minimum- consider bringing an old mobile and a digital camera rather than the latest models
• Keep car keys, cash, credit cards and mobile phones with you at all times or in one of the free security lock-ups
• Split your cash and cards into two hoards so that if one goes you have back up
• Mark your property with your name and postcode. This makes it easier for us to reunite any lost or stolen items. Campsite Assistance Teams (CATs) have UV pens and they are also available at the security lock-ups
• Consider registering your property at immobilise database. This is a free service and we check all recovered property with this database 
• Leave a record of any credit card you take, including the account number and the cancellation phone number, at home.  If the worse happens you can report it stolen quickly
• Don’t leave anything valuable in your car and leave the glove box open and empty.  It’s also a good idea to check on your vehicle during the duration of the festival so there are no nasty surprises when you come to leave

SAFE CAMPING

• If you have any concerns about camping at the festival try to site your tent near to the fire tower or by your zone manager’s caravan
• Introduce yourself to those around you so they now your face and your tent. Let each other know when you’re not going to be around and keep an eye on each others stuff
• Report anything or anyone suspicious to campsite staff– that’s what they’re there for
• Don’t put a padlock on your tent- this will only invite thieves
• Don’t bury your valuables by your tent. Someone is bound to be watching
• When you’re sleeping, place any valuable items at the bottom of your sleeping bag
• Keep to main routes on the site when dark and try to travel around in groups
• Always take a torch with you. Chances are you won’t be back to your tent ‘till after dark
• Attach a distinctive flag on a pole by your tent. It will help you identify it if you get a bit lost

HELP US

• If you do become a victim of crime do not resist and give them what they want. Help us to set the record straight by making sure you get a good look at them and their clothes and noting down the area it took place (look out for fire towers, loos, distinctive tents)
• If you have an incident with a security guard, steward or any other member of festival staff that you want us to look into please make a note of their tabard number and the name on their pass
• Please don’t be alarmed by our advice. Crime at festivals is relatively low we just don’t want anything to happen to you.

DRUGS

Forget what you may have heard about festivals being a place for peace, love and drug taking.

While there may be a fair bit of the first two things drug taking of any kind will not be tolerated at the festival.

Security checks on your way into the site will be stringent and staff are adept at finding drug stashes.

The law at Leeds Festival has to be enforced, just as it would be any other part of the country.

Anyone found with a suspicious substance will be arrested and taken from the site while tests are undertaken to ascertain the exact nature of a powder or tablet.

Please also be aware of so-called ‘legal highs’. Despite the name this is no guarantee that it’s safe to take or is in fact a legal substance.

Whether it’s claimed to be a legal high or a banned substance, people supplying drugs are more often than not unscrupulous individuals who don’t care about you.

Aside from the potential effect that anything you take may have on your health and wellbeing, drugs can also have a significant effect on your life and future.   

A conviction for taking or supplying controlled drugs to your friends will impact on your life. This can include travel plans, employment prospects as well as your general reputation.

Come to the festival and enjoy it but don’t let one bad decision ruin the weekend and jeopardise your future.

Crime Prevention

Festivals are full of young, fun loving and like-minded people but beware they are also an easy patch for career criminals and opportunists who know how festival goers tick, and the Leeds Festival is sadly no exception and so please read through the advice below and plan ahead for the event.
Festival Republic, the Leeds Festival organisers, and West Yorkshire Police have teamed up together to provide information to both festival goers and parents alike that may help those who will be attending the  Leeds Festival this year.

As with each year, we are all keen to ensure that festival goers do what they can to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of crime and we have compiled the following festival savvy tips – some tips probably wouldn’t work anywhere else but at a festival!

1. VALUABLES
Quite simply – please DON’T BRING THEM!  Don’t be flash.  Ipods, MP3 players etc - you don’t need them here – there is enough going on for you to be entertained without them.
If you have to bring them please use the left luggage facility rather then store them in your tent.
Campsite Assistance Teams (CATs) in the campsites have UV pens that you can use to write your postcode or name onto any valuables for easy identification.
Split your cash and cards into two hoards so that if one lot goes – you have back up.
Don’t carry anything valuable in your programme pouch or on a lanyard – unless it is kept hidden under a shirt or jumper.
Don’t carry anything in back pockets – the event is busier than Oxford Street, especially at the stages, and chances are you have had a drink and so you will be less aware than usual and pick pockets love it.  Pockets with zips are better.
Don’t leave anything valuable in your car – maybe go and check on your car twice during the show?  Leave your glove compartment empty and also open.

2. CAMPSITES
If you have any concerns about your safety in the campsites camp somewhere well lit, go near a fire tower or by your zone managers caravan.
Introduce yourself to campsite staff, show them where your tent is, stick a funny flag on it so it’s easy for them to see, and ask them to keep an eye out.  They will.
Introduce yourself to your neighbours and set up a neighbourhood watch system, it may sound naff but experience shows that the best and friendliest campsites are the ones with people in that make the effort to do so.  More friends to party with too.
Report anything or anyone suspicious to campsite staff – you can do this anonymously if you wish and that is what the staff are there for.
Don’t put a padlock on your tent as this will invite thieves.
Don’t bury your valuables by your tent as someone is bound to be watching.

3. PERSONAL SAFETY
Make sure your mobile is charged up on a daily basis - in the early afternoon - so that it is ok for the night when it’s dark, the stages get busy and you are more likely to lose each other.  Plan ahead.  Festival time is slow and it can take a long time to get from A to B.
Keep your phone well hidden – how annoying would it be to lose all your contacts?
Stay in groups and be tolerant of friends slowing you down.
At night stay on the main roads in the campsites – don’t go exploring darker, quieter areas –you can do that in the day
Arrange an easy meeting point with your mates before you get to the event and also three times a day (eg.  2pm, 6pm and 1am) that you will be there if you get split up.  No one likes to be left to have fun on their own for long.
If you do become a victim of crime – DO NO RESIST – give them what they want and make sure you get a good look at them or their clothes, so that when you report them we have a good head start.  Also, make a note of exactly where you are if you can – look out for loos, fire towers, unusual tents, what colour the bunting is and what the road name is etc
The welfare tent is there for you in the Village near the arena entrance.  These facilities are there to help you if you need it.
If you have an incident with a security guard, steward or any other member of our staff that you want to tell us about – please make a note of their tabard number, or the name on their pass.  Without this information we can do very little as identifying them without this number or name is very difficult.
Please don’t be alarmed by our advice – just be fore warned that it does happen to some people and we don’t want it to be you.  Plan ahead.

Emergencies

In an Emergency please contact the nearest member of security or steward for help.

There is an onsite fire fighting team who are fully equipped to deal with any fires and are backed up by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services. There are fire observation towers located around the perimeter of the campsites. There are fire extinguishers located throughout the site and many of the stewards and security staff have been trained in fire safety in addition to the onsite fire fighting team.

There are medics onsite who are fully equipped to deal with all situations and have a fleet of five ambulances along with First Aid posts at the stages in the arena and one in the arena in addition to the main onsite hospital in the Village. The medics also have roving patrols and provide an Accident and Emergency facility with full resuscitation, GP facilities and surgeries and psychiatric treatment. There is a landing point for air ambulances if required.

Check List

Key Ingredients of a good festival; mix in a large field for three days, stir occasionally and bring to the boil, season to taste.

Remember when packing that glass is not allowed onsite.

Entry Ticket
Money / Cash Card
Clothing for all seasons
Sleeping Bag / Blanket
Tent
Travel Ticket Home
Camera (for personal use)
Mobile Phone
Sun Cream & a Hat
Tin Opener & Bottle Opener
Tissues
Toiletries and Towel
Torch
Wet Wipes
Dry Clean socks
Strong shoes
Any medications that you need
Only bring what you can afford to lose. There is no way you can make a tent secure.
We would encourage you not to bring anything that would cause unnecessary rubbish.
Clean up after yourself and have brilliant weekend.

Drugs Policy

The dealing in or use of illegal drugs is not condoned by Leeds Festival. It is illegal to take, to buy or to sell drugs. Drug enforcement laws are as applicable on site as anywhere else in the country. If you deal in drugs, it is likely that you will be arrested via security and handed over to West Yorkshire Police. There are covert police onsite who will take action as appropriate. Neither anti-social nor illegal behaviour will be tolerated and participants will leave themselves liable for eviction from the site.

Experimenting with drugs can lead to adverse reactions. Drugs can kill. The crowds and the sheer size of the Festival can be very frightening and disorientating and taking drugs could spoil your enjoyment of the event. If you do take drugs and you become ill, depressed or frightened please ask a steward to direct you to one of the many facilities on site which can help and support you.