Glastonbury weekend 2021

A lovely Saturday summer’s evening and the little oaks are potted up; Sunday morning and it’s raining (again) – both make me think fondly of the Festival. The friends and crew I miss, the sounds and smells – who can truly explain the experience of the Festival??!! Hopefully next year we’ll be back in the Green Kids field and these little oaks will go off to new homes to be planted out and grow into mighty oaks.

If you have one of the oaks from us please do write in, send a pic and tell us any fond memory of the Green Kids field magnificent Oak? oaktreeproject@glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

*** Merry Midsummer ***

November 2020:

Grow an oak tree from an acorn : it’s tree seed collecting time!! Celebrate trees and support wildlife.

June 2020:

Jos Colover

Jos was the founder of the Green Kids field and the Oak Tree Project (amongst a myriad of other achievements) and until recently she organised and oversaw every year with: a flourish of creative faery dust, the constant focus of a parent and the fiery perseverance of a dragon. Although she died this year, she will live on, in every marquee and with every colourful workshop in our field.

Jos was a visionary in building a festival family and our campsite is the envy of many that work on the site because she has created a creative nurturing atmosphere, full of compassion and fun.

She started her children’s events at Glastonbury over 20 years ago, with just a couple of tables and a small patch of land on the main path (below Greenpeace) and over the decades developed and built what everybody recognises as the Green Kids field.

She was a kind, determined, wise and strategic organiser of talented people and grandly themed events. An impresario of health and safety strategies, inclusive practices and access for all; which led to her providing disability provision to a host of other festivals in the U.K (Lovebox, Strummer etc).

Nobody dared to summon the wrath of Jos. She juggled many responsibilities and she had no time for questions that contradicted what she knew to be the safest way to ensure a happy family field.

Over the last decade, our tremendous friend was thrown many health challenges, which she repeatedly battled and overcame like a true warrior queen. When she had recovered from one such harrowing setback, she was delighted to see that Michael Eavis had rebuilt the legendary pirate ship ‘Cadmus”, which they ceremoniously launched together with a bottle of champagne.

A truly inspiring woman, who achieved so much in her life, by constantly sharing her generous self, for the betterment of others, for the greater good. She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.

Let the Green Kids field be a lasting part of her incredible legacy.

The Jos Tree

She-oak stretches her roots
and bends her boughs
as a calm breeze cools her wide-skirted leaves.
Tawny owls gaze down from our ancient oak,
looking out for their friends.
bright bunting butterflies flutter
by a lounging library of fiction pixies.
Marquees stand tall, protected by animals on painted poles,
full of impossible adventures.
A dragon tea party has turned into a baby disco.
Hammers hitting nails are banging out a joyous song.
Laurel and Hardy slap their sticks
to the bubbling beat.
the socks are out and dancing, instead of wrestling,
Donkey does D.J with Scare.D.Wolf.
Whilst the elephant was spotted smoking,
it was caught on Camera Obscura
and witnessed by a toilet faery.
The cautious Magpie sings out her name
and all the fluffy pirates sang back.
And all the families smile, taking memory morsels away
that they will always cherish.
We hear your voice,
we can see you sit on your bench,
watching over us with your protective eyes.
We hold you close,
celebrating our good fortune,
for finding such a magical treasure.
Seems selfish to miss you,
but we do,
lucky old ancestors.
love you x

June 2017:

We have been lucky enough to set up our children’s Book Lounge in Green Kids for a number of years, and my daughters and I – as well as the many people who have helped over the years – love the Big Oak Tree.

In 2016, Jos gave me a seedling she had grown from this venerable oak to take home to Wales. I have been looking after it in memory of Sylvie, my baby grandchild, who was born and died in May 2016.

The baby oak is growing and flourishing, while Sylvie’s mother Ellie, who has often rested under the big oak, now has a new baby, Rory.

We’ll always remember Sylvie, whose name recalls woods, and hope that in a while the young oak will be planted in the churchyard near her grave.

Ann