Lend a hand, would you ?

August can't come soon enough for the return of some rigour in the BBC's HR policies. Incoming personnel boss Valerie Hughes D'Aeth will find some odd practices in place, according to an exchange on the staff website, Ariel.

Ben Chapman, Head of Popular Music, Multiplatform, BBC Radio, reveals that digital coverage of Glastonbury was supported by volunteers working shifts "over the weekend and some through the night in NBH and at Worthy Farm".

Those at New Broadcasting House were supplied with free meals. But were they paid or unpaid ? If they were paid, surely overtime or legitimate expenses would cover the meals - or were they taking time off from their "day jobs" - or perhaps accumulating extra leave, to be paid for by their parent department ?   There's a commendable history of BBC volunteering to help out with Children in Need, but that has a charitable function. There's a debate about whether or not it was appropriate to have BBC volunteers working on Olympic coverage - but at least it was clear that they were unpaid, there would be no expenses, and the hours had to be taken from your own time or leave.

Glastonbury is different. It is big business. Were these volunteers over and above Bob Shennan's declared 300 staff and freelancers involved in the coverage ?  How many other BBC enterprises are "supported" by volunteer effort ?