Welcome to the volunteers resource hub

LAST NIGHT’S USHER PRESENTATION is here -PLEASE PRINT AND KEEP NEAR you

LATEST VERSION V14 (updated Saturday am of the volunteer schedule is here - and in the WhatsApp

Please WhatsApp NOT email your changes clearly TO THE GROUP OF THE DAY YOU are talking about.

First of all we are delighted that you can help, we have built up such a great team and we look forward to seeing you in April.

THE TEAM

Cate Evans (Festival Manager)

Kitty Dunham (Asst Festival Manager)

Tor Stewart (Asst Festival Manager)

is still with us too this year but is focussing on tickets, catering and festival troubleshooting.

What's New for 2026?

This webpage a place for you to come and find all the information you need to be a great volunteer at the INK Festival 2026 and keep yourselves, our ticket holders and staff happy and safe.

I have learned from the Volunteer Survey 2025 that you don't all have time to read everything important that is in Venue Boxes on the day. It is essential that we all know what is happening, so I am making the documents and others available here. It is important that volunteers have read each section - if you want paper versions - let me know and i will leave them at The Cut for you to collect.

Key Dates for 2026

IMPORTANT - IF YOU ARE NOT RECEIVING EMAILS:

Please ensure that my email address - cate@inkfestival.org - is in your contacts so that you get my emails - they are sent to large email lists and some emails systems will reject them if not a known sennder

Training deadline - read everything by 14 April 2026

Zoom training - Thursday 9 April 10:00-11:00 and REPEATED Sunday 12 April 17:00-18:00 - done

Programme live online - NOW

14 April - Volunteer briefing - Cut Theatre/Foyer 18:00 - done

15 April - Team Photo - 5:15 - please do come and be in our big photo

10 April - Pop up box office open every day 10:00-16:00 (exc Sunday 12)

16-19 April Festival

19 April After Party for all creatives, volunteers and team time tbc - after Hugh Bonneville

20 April Schools’ Day

2027 Festival 15-18 April 2027

Post event Volunteer Survey is here please do complete

THE VOLUNTEER RESOURCE HUB

VOLUNTEER ROLES

What do volunteers do? - Read the ROLES OVERVIEW here

How to sign up - SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER HERE (most of you have done this).

training STEP ONE - live

training STEP two - live

Join the WhatsApp Groups - See the QR codes on the vounteer schedule above

Daily groups were be launched at the briefing

WhatsApp Best Practice: - don’t phone - use WhatsApp

Please send very clear messages and say who you need to answer if appropriate

Keep your phone on at all times as emergency messages could come at any time

Set WhatsApp to vibrate so that even if you are silenced during a show you can feel it

Don’t message if you don’t need to - we should keep the channels clear

Send a message rather than phone or messages can be duplicated - everyone sees the WhatsApp at once

If there is an emergency or danger - use 999 first

TheSE next steps will go live soon

training STEP THREE Health and Safety

Here you will find documents that cover our policies for keeping everyone safe

These are for reference only

Emergency plans - are in the venue box

Safeguarding - are in the venue box

Accessiblity - is in the venue box

All our other policies are on the website.

training STEP FOUR THE VENUES

Read the specific notes per venue - each venue is different so it really helps to be prepared in advance

Individual Venue Documents NEW LIVE - WHAT ARE THE SPECIFICS FOR EACH VENUE?

Venue Resource - VIDEO WALK THROUGH and list - pending

Venue Set Up - Video Walk Through - pending

Venue Feedback Forms - see here what they look like - no need to download they will be at the venue

Content advisories - You will have these in your venue box - please familiarise yourself with them

The Queuing Systems by Venue - VIDEO WALK THROUGH - pending

training STEP FIVE Box office duties

Box office duties - pending

Use of card payment app - please upload Paypal POS using cate@inkfestival.org and ask a team member for the password.

training STEP six SCHEDULING - IN PROGRESS

See the festival schedule and programme in real-time online www.inkfestival.org/festival2026

Any questions - please message Cate@inkfestival.org