Volunteer Handbook UK PonyCon 2026 Introduction 1. Who’s who & How to identify staff 1.1 - UK PonyCon 2026 Committee 1.2 - First-Aid team 1.3 - Volunteers 2. Volunteer Guidelines 2.1 - Registration & Arrival 2.2 - Volunteer Schedule 2.2 - Briefings 2.3 - Selfcare 2.4 - Restricted Areas 2.5 - Outfits 2.6 - Radio Usage 2.7 - Recognising Accessibility needs 3. What to do in case of: 3.1 - Emergencies (fire / robbery / medical aid / violence / etc.) 3.2 - Lost property 3.3 - Lost children 3.4 - Harassment 3.5 - Spotting banned imagery 4. Venue Map 5. Event Schedule Introduction A very warm welcome to the UK PonyCon 2026 Volunteer team! This Volunteer Handbook will outline and explain aspects to volunteering you will need for the convention taking place between the 30th of October through to the 1st of November. We expect all volunteers to read this handbook carefully, as reading this is mandatory. You do not have to memorise this guide, but reading through this helps you understand your position better and to be prepared for situations that may arise. Thank you for volunteering for UK PonyCon 2026 on behalf of the Volunteers Department Team! 1. Who’s who & How to identify staff The following are the key members of UK PonyCon. You can refer to this list to find out who’s who, and how to identify them. 1.1 - UK PonyCon 2026 Committee Committee members are the core heart and organisers of UK PonyCon. If something comes up, you should find the appropriate committee member to handle the situation. Leads are primarily in charge of their departments, so you should try to reach out to a lead first. If you are unable to contact a lead, you can reach out to their deputies. VOLUNTEERS DEPARTMENT (Your main liaison. Also pictured above! IIf you need anything related to volunteers, or have any questions regarding volunteering) Jake (AvuiArts) - Volunteers Co-Lead Lex (Magical7) - Volunteers Co-Lead Wax - Volunteers Deputy DIRECTORS (If something serious arises that needs attention immediately, consult a director) Maz - Chair Sparkler - Vice-chair & Art team Lead Umbra - Treasurer STALLS DEPARTMENT (If stallholders need anything, or you might spot non-family friendly items being sold, please consult the stalls department) Metaphor - Stalls Lead Keyphob - Stalls Deputy EVENTS DEPARTMENT Bexi - Head of events lead & VIPR Lead Irish - Deputy events & Special guest team Lead Ember - External Events Lead Maple - Children Events Lead Patchwork - Children Events Deputy Steph - Collectors Event Lead Harvey - Collectors Event Deputy Elise - Charity Auction Lead & Cosplay Nekky - Britannia buddies Lead Edward (Beatlinked) - Britannia Buddies deputy OTHER DEPARTMENTS Arek - Special Guest Helper Ash - Photography Lead Arctic Rose (Tom) - Contests Lead Reskell - Communications & Venue Decorations Lead Nathan - Operations & Registration Desk Lead Proptop - Operations Helper Moomin34 - Tech & Music Lead Recognising a Committee member The most important part to recognising a committee member, is that they wear yellow lanyards with the text “ STAFF ” on it. Attached is a badge with purple background, and the mascot Britannia wearing a blue cape . The text bar also has stars on it. Please note the difference between a committee badge and a volunteer badge below; COMMITTEE BADGE (BLUE CAPE, STARS) – VOLUNTEER BADGE (PURPLE CAPE, NO STARS) COMMITTEE LANYARD, ONLY TO BE WORN BY COMMITTEE MEMBERS! (BRITANNIA PLUSH NOT INCLUDED) From this year on, yellow STAFF lanyards are only to be worn by committee members. If you own one, please return it to us and do not wear it. Some committee members may wear a blue polo shirt with the UK PonyCon logo on the front, and their name on the back for easy identification. COMMITTEE POLO’S 1.2 - First-Aid team If someone seems unwell or is in need of medical attention, whether physical or mental, contact a member of the First-Aid team. They will have a dedicated office upstairs, next to the staff lounge. Get in touch with them by asking the reception to send them a radio message, or use your own radio (Channel 1). Medics will be wearing green shirts with yellow/green Hi-Vis Mental Health/Welfare team will be wearing purple shirts with yellow/purple Hi-Vis The First Aid Duty Manager will be wearing a black polo shirt 1.3 - Volunteers That’s you! Volunteers are required to be wearing the following while on duty: ● Purple volunteer badge ● Orange volunteer lanyard (with text “VOLUNTEER”). Please remember to return this lanyard to Jake afterwards! ● Blue or pink UK PonyCon volunteer T-shirt. Volunteers may wear additional clothing around their arms, and may be wearing an additional shirt underneath their staff shirt. Returning volunteers may bring shirts from a different year, which may have a different colour. Volunteer teams Every volunteer team has a team lead. It is important you listen carefully to their explanation and attend team-specific briefings. Team leads know most details about your specific roles, and they will explain your role in more depth during the convention weekend. Every team will have a team specific guide available separate to the Volunteer Handbook, to help you prepare. If you have any questions beforehand, you can ask them in the Volunteer Discord server. Team Leads list Here is a quick list of the leads and optionally deputies of all teams. Only teams that work closely with volunteers have been included. - Merchandise - Team Lead: Umbra - Registration & Info Desk - Team Lead: Nathan - Operations & Stewards - Team Lead: Nathan - Tech - Team Lead: Moomin - Events - Team Lead: Bexi || Deputy: Irish - Children Events - Team Lead: Maple || Deputy: Patchwork - Special Guests Handlers - Team Lead: Irish - Britannia Buddies - Team Lead: Nekky || Deputy: Ed - Photo and videography - Team Lead: Ash If you need to get in touch with your team lead but are unable to, contact the volunteer leads. 2. Volunteer Guidelines 2.1 - Registration & Arrival Upon arrival at the main building, you skip the queue as a volunteer. Make sure to tell the door guard or staff member that you’re a volunteer team, so you can be granted access. Please make sure you register as soon as you arrive. You will find the registration area located in front of the glass entry doors. Please have at ready; - Your QR staff ticket, any sponsor tickets - An ID showing your legal name and date of birth. - Additionally, any sponsor items you may have ordered. Scanning your QR ticket confirms your attendance and staff status. Upon completion, you will be given your volunteer badge and volunteer shirt. If you’re a returning volunteer, please bring your previous shirt to wear. - Jake will be handing out the volunteer lanyards. Please make sure to check in with them next. They will also be carrying a radio with them, so you can ask the registration desk to ask where they are. NOTE: If you arrive during the earlier hours, registration desks may not yet have been set up. If this is the case, please sort your ticket as soon as the registration desk opens. 2.2 - Volunteer Schedule The schedule can be found on the Volunteer Discord server, in the #volunteer-bulletin-board. The volunteer schedule is colour coded by team. You can find your personal schedule including different duties across different teams, as well as the schedule for one entire team. Please use your digital personal schedule as the main one. The digital copy always has the most up to date schedule. Please note that because of circumstances, the schedule might change close to the con. If a change has been made that influences your schedule after Thursday before the con, we will let you know. We aim to have a large print-out of the volunteer schedule in the staff room as well. If you struggle to read your schedule, we can manually write a text-only version on request. If you are in need of this, please contact Lex as soon as possible. Missing your shift If you cannot attend your shift you must alert your shift lead first and foremost, and as soon as possible. The list to all staff including your lead can be found in the handbook role descriptions. If you are unable to get in contact with your team lead, contact Lex or Jake so they can sort your schedule. If you can not let them know in person, make sure to send a message to them through Discord. 2.2 - Briefings Friday Briefing - 15:30 / (3:30PM) - At Registration Desk MANDATORY FOR REGISTRATION TEAM & OPERATIONS/STEWARDS Before opening for the general Pre-Registration, we will be doing a short brief and explain the most important bits to volunteering on Friday. While every volunteer is encouraged to attend, this is especially important to the registration desk team members. Saturday Briefing - 9:00 / (9:00 AM) - At Everfree Exchange MANDATORY FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS Attending this briefing is required and important. Please make your best efforts to be here! We will briefly go about the most important aspects of volunteering, and what to do in certain situations. We will give you a tour of our venue, to help you understand the venue layout. Team Specific Briefings - 9:15 / (9:15 AM) Directly after the general briefing, your team-specific lead will go into further details about understanding your volunteering roles, and what is expected of you. Sunday Debriefing - 18:30(Ish, after closing ceremony) /(6:30 PM) - Near Mane Stage As UK PonyCon comes to an end, so does volunteering. But the party never ends! Please join our volunteer debrief on Sunday, after the Closing Ceremony. Next to showing our thanks, we would like to take a group photo of our Volunteers. And after that, we need a lot of help for takedown. (Please do come help, it’s much faster with many people!) 2.3 - Selfcare Your wellbeing is very important to us, and we need you to be taking good care of yourself. It is important you feel well throughout the convention, as well as you having an enjoyable volunteering experience. Make sure you hydrate and drink plenty throughout the day. - Snacks and drinks: These will be provided to volunteers in the Staff room located upstairs.You may eat and drink these during your time off, inside the staff room only. Please don’t leave half eaten food or half full cans around the staff room, so make sure you finish what you take. - Take breaks: Your volunteer schedule has been built to include plenty of free time. Please make sure to use this to get yourself proper meals, as well as enjoying the events you would like to see. - Rest and Sleep: Try and catch enough of sleep to get you well rested, and that you take care of your own hygiene. Please make sure you shower daily, also to keep your shirt clean, as well as that you won’t end up smelling like sweat. - Hygiene: Sometimes a bit overlooked, but very important. A nice shower at the start of the day will help you feel fresh, clean, and ready for a day of volunteering. If you are feeling physically or mentally unwell or overwhelmed, remember your own health is the most important. If you feel like you are too sick to volunteer, take care of your own wellbeing first and don’t show up for your shift anyway. You can also find the first aid team, who are happy to help and support you if you’re feeling overwhelmed. We are here to look after our volunteers, so this means we want you to be feeling well. If you at any time feel too sick to work, please let Lex or Jake know as soon as possible, so we can arrange backups. 2.4 - Restricted Areas Staff Room Staff and Volunteers only - No attendee access The staff room is located upstairs. You can find the stairs or lift leading up to it next to the registration desk. The staff room, including its own kitchen area is open for all volunteers to recharge with some small snacks and drinks (stay hydrated). Everyone is expected to help keep the staff room clean and in good condition. If you see someone here without a staff or volunteer lanyard and badge, please escort them out. If you see waste, please bin it, even if it’s not your own. Do not leave consumables in the staff room to finish later! If you can’t finish it, bin the food in the provided black bags, and pour any unfinished drinks down the sink. You can find noise protection in the form of foam ear plugs in the staff room for noisier areas such as the concerts. Sleeping and napping is not permitted inside the staff room. Do not leave your personal belongings in the staff room. Green Room VIPs, Special Guest Handlers & Musicians only - No attendee or volunteer access The green room is located next to the Volunteer lounge. Please take note that the green room is off limits for volunteers. It is important the performers using these rooms are left alone and in peace, as they also need their space to recharge and catch their breath. 2.5 - Outfits Looking approachable and representable as a volunteer is important, as well as being recognisable to attendees or other staff members. We would like to draw your attention regarding your outfit to the following while volunteering; ● Volunteer Shirts: You must wear your staff shirt while on your shift. If you have a volunteer shirt from a previous year, please bring it and wear it. You will be given one shirt that has to last the entire weekend. We encourage you to wear a spare shirt under it, to keep the volunteer shirt as clean as possible. You are not allowed to give your shirt to anyone else or sell it. If you ever lose your shirt, contact a Volunteer Lead. ● Lanyards & Badges: Your orange volunteer lanyard and purple volunteer badge MUST be visible at all times. If you still have a yellow lanyard from any previous years, please turn them in to the volunteer leads upon arrival to the convention. The yellow STAFF ones are to be worn by committee only. ● Hygiene: Maintain proper hygiene. Please make sure you look and smell clean and representable. ● Feeling Chilly: Due to it being cold, you are allowed to wear an open jacket or a long sleeve item of clothing under your volunteer shirt. As long as the front of the shirt is visible it’s okay. ● Face masks: (the ones that only cover your mouth and nose) are permitted but do not cover your face with any full face covering. ● Fursuits, Cosplay and Outfits: Fursuits are absolutely not allowed while you’re on duty. You may fursuit during your free time, but do not show up in fursuits or big partials. You may wear smaller accessories during your shift such as wigs, ears or a tail. Make sure your face and shirt is not obstructed. Also check that your outfit is family friendly. Convention attendees will look to you as to what is and isn’t allowed to be worn. So be advised to keep to the cosplay rules provided on our website under general rules: https://www.ukponycon.co.uk/terms-and-conditions ● Shoes: Make sure you’re wearing practical shoes, as you’re likely going to be walking around a lot. 2.6 - Radio Usage Some volunteer positions may require a radio, to easily get in touch with one another. The radios will be in the staff room. Please only take a radio when you're assigned one. Radio rules: - When collecting a radio, you must write down your name and time to sign it in, and write it down again to sign out when you return it. Please ensure you also put it back on charge when you do. It is VERY important to keep track of who has a radio! - Return the radio to the staff room and charger when you leave the con site. You may keep it on while moving between venue buildings. - Always use the radio with a headset. - Use the belt clip to attach your radio to your lanyard, belt or pocket. Try to prevent your skin from touching the radio. - The radio has several buttons. Only use the transmit, power, volume and channel select buttons. Refrain from touching buttons you don't need. - Do not use “Over and out” please. It is distracting to everyone listening in. - The radio system is to be used for important things only. Keep the radio clear. Do not engage in the conversation if the topic doesn't apply to you. - Radios are stored in the staff room if not in use Channels There will be several channels private to UK PonyCon. When you collect your radio, make sure you connect to the appropriate channel. - Channel 1: Security & First Aid - Channel 2: General UKPC (Any other teams) - Channel 3: Tech & AV Voice procedure - It can take 1-2 seconds for the transmission to begin after pressing the button. Count to three in your head before you speak, and wait a second when ending the message. - Start by saying your own name, then state who you're looking for. End with “over”. Wait for the person to respond. - Speak calmly and not too fast. Consider your volume and pitch. - Do not show frustration. - Do not speak over other people. - Keep transmissions brief and short. Common radio terminology Please familiarize yourself with the following terms ROGER - message received NEGATIVE - no COME IN - asking another party to acknowledge SAY AGAIN - repeat all of last message OVER - message is finished OUT - conversation is finished (often not necessary at UKPC) STAND BY - wait for short period until back I SPELL - next word spelt using phonetics WILCO - I have received your message and WILl COmply Example : Jake: “Jake to Maz, come in” (Waits for Maz to respond. Repeat after a while with no response.) Maz: “Maz receiving, go ahead” Jake: “Please help Britannia up the stairs, over” Maz: “Roger” 2.7 - Recognising Accessibility needs You may find people wearing Sunflower lanyards, indicating an invisible disability. They might require extra attention above other attendees due to additional needs that have to be met. Please take extra care to be patient and understanding. They might need to sit down, might need to move to a different queue due to sensory issues, or might need you to speak more slowly. Never ask what disability they have, they don’t have to show proof. The Sunflower lanyards (pictured below) can be worn alongside the lanyard provided by UKPonyCon. 3. What to do in case of: 3.1 - Emergencies (fire / robbery / medical aid / violence / etc.) In the event of an emergency, you must get yourself to safety first and foremost, followed by helping others getting to safety. When you are safe, reach out to a member of the committee to report an incident is occurring. Do not attempt to intervene in any way. An exception is triggering the nearest fire alarm in case of a fire. In a medical emergency, have someone or yourself radio for first aid (Channel 1) following the radio communication guide above. Remain with the person having the emergency until first aid arrives. For serious safety concerns contact Maz or Sparkler as soon as possible. 3.2 - Lost property If someone finds lost property, please take it to the Lost properties box located at the info desk (registration desk). Tell people to go to the info desk when they ask about lost property. They are to ask the attending volunteers if anything has been turned in, so they can collect their items. 3.3 - Lost children Children aged 17 and under must be accompanied by a guardian at all times. If you find a child who is lost or without a guardian, find another volunteer to join you in escorting the child to the info desk. Due to safeguarding reasons, you are not allowed to escort a child on your own. You must never leave a child unattended or with one single volunteer. The child will have a wristband with the guardian’s contact details. Please wait with the child and at least one other volunteer until the guardian has collected them. 3.4 - Harassment If you or someone else is being harassed by someone, report it as soon as you can to your team lead as well as a volunteer lead. Harassment can be, but is not limited to: ● Verbally berating you for something that is wrong. ● Physically touching you without permission. ● Pushing you to do things you aren’t supposed to do. ● Making sexually charged comments or remarks, as well as inappropriate touching. Your own behavior Please consider how your behavior might impact someone else, and if someone could feel harassed by it. This includes not making jokes or comments about sensitive matters, like sexuality, appearance ect. Even if you think it might be fine, the other person might feel uncomfortable or anxious without you realising. When in doubt if a comment you might make is appropriate, don't take the risk, just don't do it, and opt for a safe and friendly approach. All staff and volunteers must: ● Act in a professional and respectful manner at all times. ● Maintain appropriate boundaries with attendees. ● Not engage in family unfriendly conversations, such as sexual or political topics. ● Avoid being alone with a child or vulnerable adult where possible. ● Never engage in private or secretive communications with minors. ● Immediately report safeguarding concerns. Abuse of a position of trust — including moderation roles, staff authority, or online access — will be treated as a serious safeguarding breach All serious safeguarding concerns against yourself or others should be reported to Maz or Sparkler immediately. 3.5 - Spotting banned imagery UK PonyCon is a family friendly event with many children visiting. Any imagery you spot that you believe may be too disturbing, offensive or graphic for the convention should be reported to committee immediately. Never attempt to confront the individual on your own. The following image contains examples of imagery not permitted at UK PonyCon. We ask you to please keep your eyes open for any of these and report them to the committee, or anything else you think aren't family friendly. 4. Venue Map The con site has two different venues. The main venue (The Venue@DMU) is where the registration desk is located, and where panels and events take place. Not marked on the map: You can access the staff room through the stairs near the registration desk. These stairs also lead to the first aid station and the VIP green room. The Stalls hall venue (Queen Elizabeth II Diamind Hubilee Leisure Centre) is where the shopping area is located, and where the special guest signing and photo sessions are located.