WaterAid volunteer says he lent a hand to Glastonbury’s original Pyramid Stage

A WaterAid volunteer has reflected on how he lent a hand to the construction of Glastonbury’s original Pyramid Stage.

Brian Johnson – who is volunteering with WaterAid’s team on the water kiosks by the Pyramid Stage this year – recalled driving to the West Country with his then-girlfriend en route to Cornwall and seeing a sign for Glastonbury Fayre, in 1971.

“As we drove into Worthy Farm, Michael [Eavis] warmly greeted us and asked if we’d like a pint of milk, then said ‘… just drive your van down the hill to the giant pile of scaffolding; park there and see if you can lend a hand,” the 77-year-old, who is based in Stockland in Devon, said.

“I wasn’t sure what he meant, but then I met a scaffolder, Jim, who asked if I was handy with a spanner – I drove a VW campervan, so of course I said yes!

“Also I’m a rock climber, so he set me to work right at the top of the Pyramid structure to help them finish it. It took a day and half – an experience I’ll never forget!”

Mr Johnson has been volunteering with the water charity at Glastonbury every year since 2014.

His 70-year-old wife Caroline Rigby also has a link to Glastonbury, as she performed on the Other Stage in 2009 as part of WaterAid’s choir Sing for Water.

The charity hopes to encourage the public to support its Our Climate Fight campaign, which implores the Government to lend more support to communities on the front line of climate change, ahead of Cop28.

More information about the campaign can be found here: www.wateraid.org/uk/our-climate-fight