Sponsors and supporters | Trusts and foundations | Volunteers

The Lichfield Festival is a registered charity (No. 512201) which receives 13% of its income from public subsidy and 39% from tickets sales. We therefore urgently need the support of individuals, companies and charitable trusts and foundations.
For further information on how you can support the Lichfield Festival please contact Development Manager Vicki Stanley on 01543 306 272 or .

Sponsorship

The Lichfield Festival works with companies to create bespoke, flexible sponsorship packages that are able to meet specific business and marketing objectives.
Sponsorship can come in all shapes and sizes – your company could sponsor an event, a series, a commission, an education project or a community event.
We offer straight forward entertainment and hospitality packages, creative branding opportunities and are pleased to help you deliver your corporate social responsibility strategies.

Individuals

As an individual there are a number of ways that you can support the Lichfield Festival:

• Join the Lichfield Festival Association. The Association has four levels of membership – Platinum, Gold, Silver and LFA - and offers its members a closer involvement with the Festival all year round.  Benefits include advanced information, priority booking, invitation to social and cultural events throughout the year, regular newsletters, exclusive opportunities to meet artists and composers during the festival and invitations to the festival programme launch with the Artistic Director. 
• Become a Benefactor and support a particular concert or event
• Leave a gift in your will

Sponsors and supporters

Lichfield Festival gratefully acknowledges the generous support of many corporate, private and anonymous sponsors.

The BMW engine plant at Hams Hall in North Warwickshire produces all four-cylinder petrol engines for both BMW and MINI. Well over one million engines have been built at Hams Hall since the plant was launched in 2001. Located in a region famous for its engineering heritage, the state-of-the-art factory employs 1,000 people from across the West Midlands.

Philip Baldwin & Phillip Arnold Pauline Round Peter & Laura Tanter Peter & Mary Parsons

Volunteers

The Lichfield Festival relies on Volunteers to ensure the smooth running of events throughout the Festival fortnight. Each year over 200 people aged from 16 to 80 join us in the summer to help make the Festival what it is. If you are passionate about the arts, would like to help meet and look after artists, assist with event and stage management, work backstage, help out with the education programme, work on targeted publicity drives, meet sponsors, or give a helping hand with front-of-house or general administration, we would love to hear from you. Some of our volunteering opportunities include:

Runner
For the physically and mentally enduring, our runners are the mesh binding the whole operation together. Tasks include:  
Festival Office Support - Assemble packets and mailings, copy, fax, file, data entry, update contacts, assemble and organize press cuttings, brew the tea (very important).
Artist Liaisons - Greet & entertain artists & guests.
Front-of-House- (See below).
Event Production- Set up/take down chairs, tables, signs and posters at venues, guard doors, act as stage hand during rehearsals and performances.
Publicity - Post advertising at local business, museums, restaurants, creating displays
Local transportation - Chauffer artists to and from hotel & schools for weekday performances
Merchandise Sales - Sell merchandise before, during and after performances
Backstage Hospitality - Set up/take down catering services for artists, make dressing rooms more comfortable, shop for supplies.
Venue Cleaning
Filling the gaps – If a job needs doing but is not already assigned to any particular person, it will be a runner that fills in!
Data Collection, Monitoring and Evaluation – Marketing support, questionnaires.
Time Commitment: High: 4-10 hours a day (daytime and evenings). Runners are usually expected to be available throughout the Festival and for a few days beforehand and afterwards.

Concert Front-of-House
Duties include stewarding, helping with merchandise sales, ticket selling and checking, and ushering. Volunteers are required to arrive at the venue between 45-60 minutes prior to the start of an event, but are not required to stay beyond the start of an event.
Time Commitment: Low: 1-2 hours (daytime / early evening)   

Concert Wine Sales
The Lichfield Festival Association sells wine from specially erected marquees on the Cathedral Lawns, prior to and during the intervals of Cathedral Concerts. Assistance is always warmly welcomed, duties range from glass washing to fridge-shifting, and there’s always the prospect of a wee dram to take the edge off an evening’s work.
Time commitment – Moderate: 2-3 hours (early evening).

Visual Arts Supervision
In venues including the beautiful Lichfield Cathedral, visual arts exhibitions are open daily throughout the Festival, from 10am to 6pm. Volunteers will count visitor numbers, provide information when required, and ensure the safety and security of visitors.
Time commitment – Moderate: max 2 hours in a day.

Medieval Market
A one day extravaganza like no other, the Medieval Market takes place on the first Saturday of the Festival each year, and draws tens of thousands of people into the Festival experience. Stallholders line the Cathedral Close, selling all kinds of everything. Alongside this are family favourites Punch and Judy and the Rat-catcher, while Hawks, Jousting, Archery and Parades vie for attention throughout the day. Extra support is always needed on this day to ensure the smooth running of all the events. From the ‘dawn-raiders’ who mastermind the set up operation from 6.30 am (and get a free English breakfast for their troubles), to stewards, programme sellers, raffle ticket sellers and a whole host more, being a volunteer at the medieval market is a fantastic way to contribute to the festival and to have a good time. 
Time commitment – Moderate to High: as available (one day only, 6.30am – 5.30pm).

Artist Transportation
If you own a car and want to have a chinwag with some of the world’s most renowned musicians, comedians, actors and dancers, then this is the job for you. Destinations can range from places close to the Festival Office such as Lichfield City Train Station, to further afield, including airports in London and Manchester.
Time commitment: As required.

Work Experience
The Lichfield Festival is recognised as a provider of quality Work Experience, and each year we offer a limited number of work experience places, both during the Festival and beforehand, to those aged between 16-25. Please contact us for further information.

Interested?
If you think any or all of this may be for you, please send us your CV together with a covering letter. It is entirely up to you whether you want to put yourself down for one or all of the options described above. No previous experience is required in any of these areas but enthusiasm and a willingness to muck in are essential!
If you would like further information on becoming a festival volunteer, please contact Richard Bateman, Volunteer Coordinator by:
Email: (Please put ‘Volunteer’, and the area(s) you are interested in, as the subject heading, eg: ‘Volunteer: Concert Front of House and Artist Transportation’).
Phone: 01543 306270
Letter: 7 The Close, Lichfield, WS13 7LD