Invaluable Volunteer Helps out in Arundel

New Zealander Andrew Wood, 26, who has been in the UK for the past 18 months, has been “the stalwart” of Arundel’s annual nine-day festival, “proving an invaluable volunteer”. Originally from Christchurch where he was a sales and marketing manager, Wood has become so much part of the Arundel community he can’t envisage leaving. “I love the place. It’s so historical, with the castle and the cathedral, very different from home,” Wood says. “It’s a very friendly and open town and the people have been so welcoming.”

Within a few weeks of his arrival, Wood caught festival fever happy to turn his hand to any task. This year he is taking a full two weeks’ holiday to coincide with the event, enabling him to help on the management side, as well as with plenty of hands-on involvement over the hectic nine days of festivities. “Last year we had about 30-40,000 people in the town over the festival. This year we’re expecting 50-60,000 from 17 August.”