Pharmacy at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival

Well.

I’m going to Glastonbury again!

I’ve been going since 1998 and have listened to the “Will I, won’t I?” dilemmas of returning RocknRoll Pharmacists for many years. This time, for the smallest of moments, I really wasn’t sure if I wanted to do Glasto this year.

I summed up the truth though, many years ago, when my boss warned me not to let Glastonbury affect my real job. I answered “Glastonbury IS my real job! The other 51 weeks of the year are just preparation.” There is a buzz about practicing pharmacy in this setting that I’ve never equalled in any other role. Although my involvement in the pharmacies is less now, it does draw me back year after year. I can’t imagine being at the Glastonbury Festival without packing my ‘pharmacist hat’ with my tent and wellies!

Tony and Jim

Pharmacy at Glasto has gone through changes while I’ve been going though. From the ‘one pharmacist’, no stock, pharmacy Tony Guest & I inherited, we developed a set up with a full team including specialist pharmacists, working shifts in a 24 hour pharmacy within the main medical services. We also introduced a second pharmacy in the main market areas to catch people who could self medicate & save unnecessary queues at Ivy Meads Medical Centre. We were successful on all counts and the team continue friendships and professional links sustained now over many years.

The main dispensing pharmacy at Ivy Meads is run now by local pharmacist, Phil Allen from Evercreech Pharmacy with his wife Michelle & a full team of professional pharmacy staff, still including many pharmacists who return year after year. They are up to speed and up to strength again this year and, like the rest of us watching the skies to see what the weather is going to do! Michelle tells me the site is already muddy and sent me pictures of skies full of rain. I don’t care. We’re still going!

Michelles Rainclouds

The pharmacy in the market areas is no longer part of the official medical provision and James Powell’s Medicine Man Pharmacy is back again this year at the usual spot in I Market. James’s team is excited and ready to go with some familiar faces and with some new staff finishing their training before Glasto starts. He is up to speed though with both Download and the Isle of White festivals under his belt already this year. James indulges me as part of his team but I still get to see all the main bands every year. I finally get to have my Glastonbury cake and eat it!

I’m heading up to Shepton Mallet on the Summer Solstice, Tuesday 21^st June and, electricity & technology permitting, I’ll be reporting daily from the Glastonbury site with news of the pharmacies, the bands and all the other wonderful goings on at The Glastonbury Festival 2011.

I’ll report back soon.

Jim