Lighthouse | Radical Book Fair 2025: Call for Volunteers

Are YOU excited about the Radical Book Fair? Do you want get involved behind the scenes?

The Radical Book Fair (5-9th November) is just a couple weeks away and we could use a few extra hands to help our team make it extra special!

Radical Book Fair volunteering is not terribly glamorous, and the Roxy is pretty drafty, but there will be ample opportunities to talk about books and politics, see and speak to visiting authors, and ultimately be an integral part of a community event for like-minded folk!

We'd also love a hand ahead of the fair with distributing flyers & sharing events on socials and beyond, so if that's you please do let us know!

Please also note, that because of limited staff capacity for supervision & guidance, we are sadly not able to take on any volunteers under the age of 18 this year.

First things first - what's involved?

The main jobs at the fair are:

door welcome, keeping track of attendees & checking tickets for events
welcoming speakers and showing them around the venue
prepping the stage & signing tables for events
running the odd errand to the bookshop (round the corner from the Roxy)
being on hand to answer questions from visitors about books, toilets etc
Wednesday evening box delivery to the Roxy
Thursday morning is unpacking and Sunday is packing (so some heavy lifting!)
Taking pictures for social media posts
encouraging people to take part in events/zine/stalls
hosting the snug space downstairs (where exhibitions/workshops/tea & coffee station will be)
Stall maintenance -Tidying up/ reorganizing stacks of books as they get moved & browsed! Making sure publisher books stay grouped together/ finding event stock when needed.

Shifts!

Because of limited resources for training, we can only take on volunteers who are able to commit to 4-5 hours on *at least* 2 days of the fair and a zoom training session on the weekend before the fair. This is so that we can get you properly trained up and you can feel comfortable and useful in the space.

If you can't do several shifts, you can still help us with these 3 things:

- promote the fair with flyer drops/social media before the fair

- help with set up

- help with set down

If you can do a few shifts, help is most needed at these times:

Weds 5th

- 16.30- 18.30 Loading & unloading boxes from the van between bookshop & venue.

(this is quite labour intensive as it involves quite a few boxes!)

Thur 6th:

- 9.30am - 14.30 Set up (this is also labour intensive as it involves moving boxes and tables around the room. If you can only help out for a little bit on one shift then this would be the one)

- 16.30- 21.00 Events

Friday 7th:

- 12.00 - 17.00 (part of this will include a teen event)

- 16.30- 21.00 Events

Saturday 8th:

- 10.30 - 17.00 Events & stall maintenance

- 13.00- 15.00 Helping serve community lunch

- 17.00 - 21.00 Events & stall maintenance (we have a few big events that afternoon, so there will much need for moving chairs/checking in guests from 5-8pm)

Sunday 9th

- 10.30 -14.30 Events & stall maintenance

- 13.00- 15.00 Helping serve community lunch/get activist stalls set up

- 17.00 - 21.00 Taking down the festival (this is quite labour intensive too and could also be a solo shift if you can only do one!)

(but we welcome help at other times too, it just tends to be a little quieter :D)

What we're offering:

The Radical Book Fair is entirely bookshop run without any outside funding which is why we operate on a shoestring and need a little extra help for our big book fair.

We offer volunteers 35% discount on all books through to the end of the year, as many ‘proof’ books as you like/can carry and a Lighthouse tote bag of your choice!

For those who can do at least three shifts we also offer a £30 stipend to cover travel costs & food. It’s not much, but it comes with a side of our eternal gratitude!!

Please note: masks are required at all times inside the venue, and no one should attend a shift if showing signs of illness. The venue is big and drafty, so dress warm & move lots!

Last, but definitely not least (!!) we ask all our volunteers to read our Safe Spaces policy and commit to its standards of behaviour : https://lighthousebookshop.com/contact-faq#6 If you have any questions about it - just shout.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

If you’re tempted to volunteer, please READ THE DETAILS BELOW and send your answers to us at rbf@lighthousebookshop.com by midnight Tuesday 21st October.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO INCLUDE:

-a full name & pronouns, your phone number

-confirmation that you have read and agreed to our Safer Spaces policy

- any availability Thursday 23rd October for a wee 5 minute phone chat. Something super informal, just to hear a little more about what kind of books you like, if any events or authors at the fair are of particular interest to you, if you have any special/unusual skills we can tap into. (If you can't do phone calls we totally understand, pls flag in the email. If you have volunteered in the past do mention this, we won't need another call!)

- your availability on Sunday 2nd November for max 1 hour group zoom training session (your chance to ask any questions too)

- precise availability for any of the shifts/within time windows listed above, to reiterate, we can only take on volunteers who are able to commit to 4-5 hours on *at least* 2 days of the fair.

- If there are any access arrangements that will help you navigate the fair in comfort please don't hesitate to let us know! We’ll never expect you to do a task you aren’t comfortable with/feel capable of so please do be open with us and we can plan accordingly :D