Following the announcement that Gil Scott Heron will be headlining this year's festival, this month's podcast is an interview with the godfather of rap himself. For fans of Gil, the podcast will give you an added insight into his work. For those who are not so familiar, it'll be a good introduction.

I'm New Here, Gil's latest album is available on CD via Amazon or for download via iTunes. Newbies might also want to check out Gil's back catalogue (Amazon | iTunes).

** If you want to see Gil at this year's festival, you'll need to buy a ticket. If you haven't done so yet, be sure to invest before the end of the month, to save 10% on onsite prices**

Credits

• Interviewee – Gil Scott Heron
• Interviewer – Gawain Hewitt
• Mixed and Edited – bigJohn Noble
• Editing and introduction – Paul Northup

Following the release of his latest book 'Is God Still an Englishman?: How We Lost Our Faith (But Found New Soul)', this month's podcast is an interview with author, broadcaster and journalist and Cole Moreton. Cole reflects on the changes to church and society that have taken place over the last thirty years. If you like what you hear, be sure to check out Cole at this year's festival.

Is God Still an Englishman? is available from the Greenbelt bookstore, along with books from other authors contributing at this year's festival.

Credits

• Interviewee – Cole Moreton
• Interviewer – Phil Smith
• Mixed and Edited – bigJohn Noble
• Editing and introduction – Paul Northup

Earlier this year, Greenbelt supported a visit by Jeff Halper to the UK. This month's podcast is a conversation which took place during this tour between Jeff and Phil Smith (Greenbelt's Head of Communication  & Business Development) . It provides an intro to the issues of the Holy Land for those who know little, but also a useful exploration of some of the finer issues for seasoned campaigners.

Click to download

For more about Jeff and his work, please visit the ICAHD website.

You can also download Jeff's talks from Greenbelt 2009 or for reading on the issue, checkout the campaign section of the Greenbelt bookstore.

Credits

• Interviewee – Jeff Halper
• Interviewer – Phil Smith
• Mixed and Edited – bigJohn Noble
• Editing and introduction – Paul Northup

In our fourth podcast of 2010, Greenbelt trustee Martin Wroe tells us about some of the highlights in this year's Talks lineup and Head of Content, Rachel Stringer introduces us to some hidden gems elsewhere in the programme.

For details of the lineup confirmed so far visit greenbelt.org.uk/lineup. This week we're making at least one announcement each day, in anticipation of this Friday's ticket deadline. Check back tomorrow for news about the Performance Cafe and Underground lineup confirmed so far.

Credits

• Interviewees – Martin Wroe (follow him on Twitter) and Rachel Stringer
• Interviewer – Phil Smith
• Mixed and Edited – bigJohn Noble
• Editing and introduction – Paul Northup

To celebrate the launch of this year's lineup – you have bought your tickets haven't you? – here is one of our most popular talk from last year's Festival.

Rob Bell's conversation with Greenbelt trustee Martin Wroe is an insight into his life and work and his views on everything from animal noises to the afterlife.

If you like this, you might also be interested in:

In our third podcast of 2010, we catch up with Brian McLaren during a recent flying visit to the UK. Greenbelt Trustee, Simon Hall talks to Brian about about his recent trip to Palestine, the Obama administration, his new book 'A New Kind of Christianity' and the churches division over human sexuality.

More from McLaren

• Talks from previous Festivals
• His books (via Amazon)
• His blog

Credits

• Interviewer – Simon Hall
• Mixed and Edited – bigJohn Noble
• Editing and introduction – Paul Northup

In our second podcast of 2010 we take a look at the volunteering dynamic which drives Greenbelt – the handmade Festival.

We talk to Linda Watson, The Festival's volunteer coordinator, about her role and working with so many volunteers, Chris Parker, Site Manager for the Children’s Festival area, Saga Arpino, heading up the Festival’s Site Vibing Team, Luke Warner, a volunteer in the Box Office Team, and Stuart and Karen Radcliffe, husband and wife volunteers in the Festival’s Operations Team.

Click here to download the .mp3 podcast file (27.2MB)

Or stream the audio using the player below.

Timings – so you can dip in and out if you want to:

00.00 – 00.50 – Intro

00.50 – 03.25 – Linda Watson, Greenbelt’s Volunteer Coordinator

03.25– 05.55 – Chris Parker, Site Manager for the Children’s Festival area

05.55– 10.00 – Saga Arpino, head of the Festival’s Site Vibing Team

10.00 – 12.30 –Luke Warner, Festival Box Office volunteer

12.30 – 16.20 –Stuart and Karen Radcliffe, Festival Operations Team

16.20 – 17.55 –Linda Watson, Greenbelt’s Volunteer Coordinator

17.55 – 19.33 –Outro

Resources and links

How to get involved

Volunteering Generally

Apply

FAQs The Teams

Match your skills to the teams

Volunteer Profiles

Children's Festival Team

Site Vibing – Making Days – Make bunting!

The Soundtrack

• Together – Rob Mooney
• Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix) – Massive Attack
• Together – Kin
• Music Box - The Low Anthem
• A very short sample from Together – Dr. Israel
• Psyche – Massive Attack
• March of the Volunteers – Monkey
• Ticket Taker – The Low Anthem
• Together – Music from the BBC Series
• A History of Scotland - BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
• Better Together – Live feat. G. love – Jack Johnson
• Join Together – The Who

Credits

• Narrated by Grace Wroe and Garry Rutter
• Mixed and Edited – bigJohn Noble
• Written and Executive Produced by Paul Northup
• Co-production – bigJohn Noble
• Narration recording – Iain Archer
• Field Recording – Paul Northup

In our first podcast of 2010 we chat to Greenbelt's incoming Festival Director, Gawain Hewitt.

In a departure from the format of previous Greenbelt podcasts, Phil Smith, Greenbelt's Head of Communications, chats to Gawain Hewitt, Greenbelt's newly appointed Festival Director, about his life, his interests, his faith, and his feelings about and vision for the role he's about to take up on 8 February.

[podcast]http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/downloads/podcasts/gb_jan-2010_final.mp3[/podcast]

Click to download the .mp3 podcast file.

You can read more about Gawain's appointment over here.

Credits
Questions posed by Phil Smith
Questions answered by Gawain Hewitt
Mixed – bigJohn Noble
Executive Produced by Paul Northup

In our last podcast of 2009 – and of the decade – we take a look back over Greenbelt's noughties.

We talk to Andy Thornton, The Festival's Manager coming into the decade, about the move to Cheltenham, Jude Levermore, The Festival's Chair in the early part of the decade about beginning to turn things round, Karen Napier, the Festival's Chair in the mid-to-late part of the decade, about moving Greenbelt from crisis to sustainability, and Andy Turner, the Festival's brand new Chair at the start of a new decade, as he looks forward to what the next ten years might bring.

Click here to download the .mp3 podcast file (34.8MB)

Or stream the audio using the player below.

[podcast]http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/downloads/podcasts/gb_dec_09_final.mp3[/podcast]

Timings – so you can dip in and out if you want to:

00.00 – 01.20 – Intro
01.20 – 03.30 – Andy Thornton talks about the 'hairy' early days of the decade
03.30 – 08.00 – Jude Levermore talks about how close Greenbelt came to death
08.00 – 10.20 – Karen Napier talks about steadying the ship and setting a course
10.20 – 13.50 – Andy Turner looks back to look forward
13.50 – 16.20 – Andy Thornton talks about where he sees the Festival being now
16.20 – 17.20 – Jude Levermore talks about the good things that have been born
17.20 – 19.00 – Karen Napier talks about the wonderful volunteers
19.00 – 19.55 – Jude Levermore says 'thank' you to Christian Aid
19.55 – 21.00 – About Greenbelt's 'Just Peace' campaign
21.00 – 24.11 – Goodbye and play-out with Sufjan Stevens

Resources and links

The Thirty Book
The book Greenbelt published on turning thirty in 2003
Read about it and download a PDF version of it here
Read it online here

Video
Click here to view video footage captured at Greenbelt
Click here to view BBC 1 Heaven and Earth Show footage from GB07

On the record
What people have said about Greenbelt over the past 10 years

A decade of Festivals – those we have sections for on the website
2002: Kiss of Life
2003: Diving for Pearls
2004: Freedom Bound
2005: Tree of Life
2006: Redemption Songs
2007: Heaven in Ordinary
2008: Rising Sun
2009: Standing in the Long Now

The Soundtrack of the Greenbelt Decade

Jah Wobble – Heaven and Earth
ADF – Obsession
Bugge Wesseltoft – Stille Nacht
My Morning Jacket – I'm Amazed
U2 – I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Jose Gonzales – Storm
Coldcut – Music for 18 Musicians
Hope Springs Eternal – Autumn Leaves
Eddi Reader – Lazy Heart
Sufjan Stevens – Sister Winter

Credits

• Narrated by Grace Wroe and Garry Rutter
• Mixed and Edited – bigJohn Noble
• Written and Executive Produced by Paul Northup
• Co-production – bigJohn Noble
• Narration recording – Iain Archer
• Field Recording – Paul Northup

Next Saturday tens of thousands of people will gather on the streets of London to make a final call for climate justice ahead of the UN Copenhagen summit. We hope to see you there.

To get you in the mood, this month's free talk comes from Tamsin Omond. In WWJD Tamsin asks how Jesus would respond to the current crisis:

"I don't know what Jesus would do with this world. I don't know how he would challenge the tangled webs of power that be. I don't know if he'd be vegie or vegan. If he wouldn't fly to the conferences to which he was invited. If his house would be an eco-haven. I don't know if he would go out and protest. I don't know how he would respond to the responsibility he shoulders. Would he be in the developing world, helping those on the front line of climate change? Or would he be obeying the law, having faith that somewhere out there our future must be in good hands? Or would he be a superhero of the environmental movement, exposing government wrongs there, shutting down carbon intensive infrastructure here? How would he transform hearts and minds? It's impossible to know.

Is it a paralysis or is it a call to action so compelling that it does transform lives? That you give up your ambitions for luxuries that you'd always imagined having and instead become one small part of a very small group always on the brink of being overwhelmed. A group of people that have faith, that believe we can transform this world, that humainty is worthwhile enough to dig itself out of this mess."

Click to download the talk and or subscribe to our free talks and podcasts in iTunes.

For more information about next week's demonstration click here.