For financial or cultural reasons there are many who may never get the chance to enjoy the magic of Glastonbury. But now, a volunteer scheme is aiming to change that by offering places to refugees and others

Glastonbury Festival means many different things to the 210,000 people who turn up in Pilton, Somerset, for five days at the end of June. There’s the Pyramid stage lot, hyped to secure their front-of-crowd spot for the headline acts; and the ravers who shake off the stresses of regular life on the dancefloor up in Block9. There’s the blissed-out crowd watching the sunrise from the Stone Circle; the culture vultures making a beeline to hear talks from artists and other great thinkers; or those who crave peace and healing who head straight to the Green Fields.

It’s the immense size and scope of this creative wonderland that makes it one of the country’s most loved events – and why the £355 tickets always sell out in record time. However, this year, a group of festival first-timers will get to take in the wonder and spectacle of Glastonbury as volunteers and have their expenses covered.

The hallowed gates at Worthy Farm are about to open for the 38th time, here veteran festival-goer Laura Martin makes sure you’ve got everything you need

If you’re one of the 200,000 music fans who are about to get stuck into five days of partying in the Somerset fields of fun; congratulations for managing to bag a much-coveted ticket. An absolutely golden weekend lies ahead of you (well, once the tent has been pitched).

But while it’s probably as far removed from a Scouts’ camping trip as you can get, it’s still advisable to follow their old mantra – even for a slightly more debauched countryside visit – and be prepared. With mere weeks to go, here’s everything you should plan, download and pack to make it a truly incredible experience …