British Red Cross volunteers supported revellers after severe transport and weather problems left thousands stranded during the weekend at the Isle of Wight Festival.
Our teams have been responding to the emergency situation and have been supporting organisers of the event, the ambulance service and helping members of the public since Thursday (21 June).
Throughout the weekend our volunteers delivered warm clothing and blankets directly to the festival attendees, as well as last night (Sunday 24 June) to welfare agencies on the festival site who had exhausted their stock following a wet night for festival campers.
A welfare centre was set up at the British Red Cross centre in East Cowes as roads leading to the town and Fishbourne became gridlocked when traffic left the festival site and other satellite car parking sites last night. Volunteer teams provided support mainly in the form of hot drinks, warm blankets/clothing and emotional support from midnight to 6am today (Monday 26 June) when the traffic was diverted.
As usual at the annual festival, Red Cross volunteer teams also provided first aid cover to campers, alongside St John Ambulance.
Donna Taylor, the British Red Cross senior emergency response and planning officer said: “Red Cross teams of staff and volunteers have been out responding to the disruptions caused by the wet weather at the festival. We deployed our volunteer teams to support emergency services and other organisations; and have been attending to first aid incidents helping the injured within the festival area itself.
“Our event first aid teams were on hand to assist people and are primarily based in the Strawberry Fields and Big Top area of the site, as well as being on foot patrol and on-call to support other emergency services across the camp.”
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