TO THOSE FEW THAT COMPLAINED ABOUT

THE GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL.

Having telephoned the Pilton village Hall ‘Contact point’ on the Monday following the Festival in order to pass on my thanks for yet another a great event I was saddened to find that no interest was shown in recording my details or the fact that I had even called.

I was then informed that only 'negative comments' are recorded (and acted upon) and that many of those comments received during this years Festival had been repeat calls from one or two individuals.

Someone once said “You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses”.

The fact remains that the Festival brings immense happiness and pleasure to thousands upon thousands of people as well as a great deal of prosperity to Pilton and the surrounding area.

In an attempt to redress the balance, a request was made via Pilton.com inviting comments on this years Festival.

Below, are some of the emails that were received within the first three hours of that request being made.

Those few that did complain might benefit from reading them.

Neil Templar.

Pilton.com

“Firstly, thank you so much for another wonderful Glastonbury. My wife and myself have been coming since the early 1990's, whenever we could, and even got married in Shepton Mallet 7 years ago so we could spend our honeymoon at the festival. It's our 'holiday' with each other, away from our kids and jobs and, to some extent, reality and this years Grauniad Bag sums it up: 'One Day Like This A Year Will See Me Right'.

Thank you so much to the Eavis' and everyone who works hard to make Glastonbury Festival, on a very personal level, the best in the world”

Gareth and Louise. (Canterbury)

“Just want to give utmost thanks once again for putting on a great weekend and allowing us to come to your farm for one of the best weekends of our lives. As a friend of mine put it… There are a lot of times when we are stuck at work or doing something menial and our minds go back to a moment at Glastonbury and a smile forms on our faces.

Thanks once again xx”

Sam Illidge

“My 2nd time at the Festival and was just the most beautiful magical experience, i have no words to describe how thankful I am to have been part of it!!! keep up the amazing work......... Much Love!!!!!!! Thanks so much for having us!!!!!!”

Lucy Mclaren

“Dear Mr Eavis

Thank you so much for allowing us all onto your farm yet again to enjoy one of the greatest shows on earth. 2011 was surely one of the best!”

Sue Merrick

“On behalf of myself my family and friends I just wanted to say a big thank you to Michael, Emily and Family for another wonderful Festival.

When I first attended Glastonbury in 1994 aged 19 It changed every aspect of my life and made me a better person. Each year when I return I feel as if I have returned to my spiritual home, there really is something magical about Worthy Farm!

I hope that for the many thousands of new visitors who attended this year the Festival will have the same impact on their lives as it did on mine making them more compassionate, respectful and proactive human beings.

Wishing you all a restful 2012”.

Kind Regards

Helen Bolt (Sheffield).

“I am grateful for this opportunity to thank you for the festival. We have been lucky enough to get tickets for all our family for the past three years and have enjoyed every minute”

The Hall Family

“Dear Michael and Emily Eavis,

Couldn’t let the opportunity to thank you both to pass us by. We hope this gets to you. Thank you so much for all your hard work. Things like this don’t just happen they take months, if not years of preparation. Unfortunatly we were unable to go to the Festival this year due to other family commitments but we are both looking forward very much to 2013. Fingers crossed that we get tickets! Thanks again!”

Ray and Sonia Theakston

“We had the time of our lives, me and 5 mates were all lucky enough to all get tickets. Glastonbury has got to be the greatest Festival ever”

Kevin Stanford.

“I am 77 years old and live in Pilton. I walked to the Festival on Saturday and Sunday with a friend and really enjoyed all the colour and music.

Thank you Michael”.

Del (Pilton).

“Unfortunately, I did not get tickets last year, but 2011 more than made up for it…really great”

Sam Thompson

“We have been going to Glastonbury for years but 2011 must surely go down as one of the best”

Rich Harding

“My girlfriend and I look forward to the Festival every Year. This year (yet again) we were not disappointed! Thank you so much for allowing us into your home”

Andrew Chivers

“Brilliant, brilliant weekend as ever. My 21st year and i'm only 36 - it just gets better and better. My only complaint??? In all my years of going I have never had the privilege of shaking Michael Eavis' hand. What a man!!

I find it impossible to put into words what Glastonbury means to me, but what I can tell you is that in a sometimes horrible world, those 5 days somehow manage to restore my faith in the human race”.

Amanda Storey (Sheffield)

“This year was absolutely fantastic, we didn’t sleep for three days then slept for a week! What else would make you do that? Absolutely fantastic. Thank you Michael Eavis”

Tony and Sue Waldron (Bath)

“Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You”

Steve Whatley & Emma Gray

“Glastonbury is a true heartfelt experience of love and understanding and care for our fellow man”

Shirley West

“Thank you Pilton.com for the opportunity to thank Michael Eavis for another great achievement. 2011 was such a truly fantastic Festival. Thank you”.

Martha Steel

“My girlfriend (Trudy) and I took two weeks off work again to go to Glastonbury and once again had a truly superb time. Loved the mud, loved the bands, and really loved the friendship that we have come to know after 14 years as ‘Glastonbury’. Pilton.com told us that there had been ‘one or two dissenting voices from within the village of Pilton during the festival”. Please don’t let the small minority spoil it for the vast majority. The Festival provides people with a sense of purpose, belonging and camaraderie that they cannot get anywhere else. You do a tremendous job. Thank you”.

Shane Longman

“Never stop doing what you do. There are people that live for this Festival, it is what keeps them going throughout the rest of the year”

Kevin Steel

“Glastonbury 2011 was our family ‘summer holiday’ and although it rained on the first day, the sun shone through in the end. Thank you for locking the cows up and for letting us have such a great time”

Wendy, Sophie, Mathew and Mike Prowler (Ps. Please thank the cows for us!).

“I may never otherwise have had the chance to see U2, but because of you I have now seen them live,  You will never know what that meant to me, Thank you so much”

Chris Brown

“Michael, I have lived in Pilton for many years and think that the Festival is Great. I was totally unaware of anyone arriving and I didn’t see anyone leave. That is a truly remarkable achievement!. Thank you for doing what you do and please please keep up the good work”

Gaye Connelly

“This year, I was healed in the healing fields, lost in the Rabbit Hole and reunited with my childhood in the Kidz Field. Thank you Mr Eavis”.

Sandra Benfield

“Couldn’t find the Jazz Field, so had to make do with West Holts! Utterly Fantastic week. Thank you very much. Looking forward to 2013”

John Kendall

“Thank you to Pilton.com for getting us excited about Glastonbury 2011 and Thank you Michael Eavis for providing it!”

Ben & Sue Hamilton

“In 2008 I bought myself some ‘Glastonbury Wellies’. Now I just have to wear them every year whether its wet or dry. Thankfully, this year, I didn’t look too silly. I went with a couple of friends and had a brilliant time and although we can’t remember a lot of it we know that we had a great time because of the photographs which are too embarrassing to send!.

Rachael Long, Alex Cummings and Beth Cox.

“Worthy farm is a very special place for a lot of people. Thank you Michael”.

Mark Ward

“Brilliand Vibe, Brilliant Bands and Brilliant Time”

Steve Holmes

“We celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary on your farm this year among about 200,000 people, and couldn’t have wished to be among better friends”

Tina & Jon West

“If only World leaders could experience the effect of the Glastonbury Festival… there would be no war”

Eric Stanford

“We arrive on Wednesday and left on Monday. These were the best 6 days of our lives”

Nigel Page & Sally Gould

“Words cannot express my emotions. I simply had the best time ever and can’t wait for Glasto 2013”

Vicki Lesser

“I am grateful to Pilton for this opportunity to thank you for the Glastonbury Festival. In a world were so many are quick to criticize, it seems that there are fewer and fewer opportunities to praise those that do well. This was a truly remarkable event which is worthy of great recognition”

Charles Ham (Brentwood)

“Glastonbury festival 2011 was absolutely brilliant and long may it carry on!! It is only for 4 days a year - people need to chill out a bit and not complain it has put Somerset on the map!

From a proud local Somerset girl who is a nurse at a local hospital (Yeovil) No complaints from the hospital either - hardly any Glasto patients that weekend”.

Natalie Hodges (Yeovil)

“I must say once again, thanks for a fabulous year and great hospitality in your part of the world, can't wait for 2013”

Neil Loggie

“Dear Mr Eavis,

My wife and I attended Glastonbury Festival for the first time this year after wanting to do it for years but there always seemed something in the way that prevented it happening.  We celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary there on 26th June and we both agreed it was the best anniversary and the best weekend we have had the pleasure spending together.

Thanks for the effort that must go into organising this event.  Bring on 2013.

Regards”

Ivor & Lisel Baker from Redditch

“Absolutely tremendous. Superb. Thank you!”

Jon Grifiths

“I came to Worthy Farm for the third time this year and, despite the weather not being too good at the beginning, I had the most amazing time.  The festival has claimed a piece of my heart and it makes me sad to know that there isn't another for two years. 

Glastonbury festival has given me experiences that I would never have had elsewhere, the farm is such a special place where magic can happen, and I want to thank everyone involved for the best weekends of my life. 

Thank you

Mandy Winter (Stockton on Tees)

“Dear wonderful people of Pilton,

I'm sorry it was a tad louder this year.  I started coming 18 years ago and met my husband in the tent next door whilst we were working for Oxfam.  We started bringing our daughter 4 years ago and as a direct result of your wonderful festival she took up the violin after her first visit.  She took her Grade 3 exam two days before this festival and found out she had passed when we got back.

If it wasn't for your generosity in sharing your beautiful corner of England I wouldn't have the amazing family I have.

Please keep on doing the amazing things that you do and enjoy your year off in 2012”.

Nicola Corrigan (Bradford)

“Thank you for the most amazing week of my life AGAIN.  I'm not sure how you do it and I know you guys have to put up with an awful lot but we thank you for it.  Normally, I spend 51 weeks of the year existing and one LIVING.  Next year will be so hard without you but we'll make our pilgrimage to Glastonbury and Pilton some other time next year anyway and stay in one of your camp sites instead”.

James Flibble

“Thanks people of pilton for putting up with our racket we really appreciate it”.

Shay Corrigan

“Fabulous! I love the "We're going to Glasto" photoboard on Pilton.com.

As ever the atmosphere in the village was wonderful, we are well looked after by the security they provide. The traffic is slightly heavier than normal especially on the Monday after but no worse than that caused frequently by the Bath & West showground.

This year there was a little more noise than usual coming from the site while the festival is on. I and my neighbours thought it was wonderful because usually we can't hear a thing!”

Anne Llewellyn (Pilton)

“Hello!

I wanted to stop by and say thank you so much for this year's festival. I have loved Coldplay since before they were famous, but for many reasons have not seen them live before.

Watching Coldplay at Glastonbury was one of the highlights of my whole life! It's such a unique place: the atmosphere, people and opportunities to see so many excellent bands meant that the whole experience was perfect. Neither the rain nor the queues to get in (we only live 10 miles away!) could dampen our spirits, but we are very aware that the people of Pilton and immediate surrounding areas are a bit put upon for the week.

So, our heart-felt gratitude goes to everyone who agreed that the festival should continue even though they didn't want to attend themselves. Glastonbury is a experience that I am delighted to share with my family, and hope to do so in the future years.

A massive 'Thank you' to you, from us.

Jennie Rockey (Midsomer Norton)

“Hey there kind people of Pilton,

Just wanted to say a big Thank You for letting us share your wonderful home for 5 days.

Had yet another fantastic time and know it is a hardship you face with a certain amount of class and style, you should be proud that it creates such a positive vibe in the UK and worldwide.

Enjoy the next 700 days and hope you are able to extend your hospitality again without too much heart ache in 2013. All the best”

Rob Taylor (North Yorkshire).

“Thank you, on behalf of 99.9% of the village, for providing yet another truly wonderful experience and for ensuring that Pilton remains a very very special place”.

 Neil Templar

"If you don't like something change it.
If you can't change it, change your attitude.
Don't complain."
Maya Angelou

THE GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL WILL RETURN IN 2013