Putting on my walking trousers and lifting my three rucksacks. I was really trying to travel light. Using my pilgrim cross pilgrimage kit list but including a tent, blanket, cooking stove, and food, I set off to greenbelt festival on the train from Hull.
Using the greenbelt shuttle bus early on Thursday morning myself and a friend got some food and drink reward vouchers for being “Green Belters” using public transport. The first task, after getting my two wrist bands for the weekend and collecting a programme, was to put up my tent and claim my bit of green land for the weekend. I was very glad I had my three rucksacks to weigh down my bits of tent while putting it up so it didn’t blow away! One bag for the outer tent, one bag for the inner and one bag to stop the pegs and poles blowing away. I then had the afternoon to relax and meeting up with fellow pilgrim cross friends and helping them put up their tents.
Friday night I went off to the goth Eucharist followed by the sparkle lgbtq disco as I like both the inclusiveness from both and seeing friends from my previous times at greenbelt. Both light my little heart with feelings of being included and accepted which I love about Greenbelt and I love about PilgrimCross too. I am proud to say that I am a Pilgrim Cross recruit from Greenbelt. Greenbelt 2018 to 2022 was my persuasive recruitment period into Pilgrim Cross. I have only done two PilgrimCross Pilgrimages over the past two years, where as I have been to greenbelt festival about five or six times!
This year I was extra proud to wear a red PilgrimCross at Greenbelt T-shirt! Having walked twice now I finally feel like a genuine PilgrimCross Pilgrim.
At nearly five on Saturday I set off to the Shelter (our venue for the night) to help set up for our Mass with everyone. This was my main event of the weekend and time to wear my Pilgrim Cross t-shirt! My role was greeting and talking to people coming to our Mass and giving out the order of service.
Sunday morning I went to the Greenbelt communion with nearly all of the greenbelt festival goers. I got myself in a comfortable spot when shortly into the communion service we all had to move and relocate with our groups for our shared communion which was a great challenge reflecting what is happening in Gaza and around the world, where families and communities have to keep relocating as and when necessary. The communion service had a live link to a family farm in the West Bank (Tent of Nations) and reflected on the situation in Gaza.
I also went to talks about Gaza, the environment, and did some embroidery on the greenbelt mural (my part three effort of year four), as well as talking and drinking coffee with Greenbelt and Pilgrim Cross friends. I was sad to leave Greenbelt as I really enjoy going. To me Greenbelt is the only festival that I know of where I can feel safe and know my tent and belongings will be safe too. Back to the real world now with lots of things to discuss think about and pray for. But I will be back next year for more of the same… and to hopefully finish that mural!