Susan Paterson shares her experiences as a Group Organiser for Beltane Fire Festival.

Photo of Susan at Contact Point (Beltane 2012) by Ellen Duffy

I had been involved in Beltane Fire Society for a few years before I helped run a group. I’d met so many great people through Beltane that when two of my best friends suggested forming a new group for 2012 I couldn’t wait to start doing all the things I had learned in other years.

The way it all seemed to just click together at the last minute was exciting and terrifying! After doing Beltane for so long, I learned to expect everything. Anything could happen and it usually does.

The biggest challenge was fitting Beltane around normal life. It took over completely for 2 or 3 months. I tried to be as well organised as possible to get everything done, and gave the group all the dates of meetings well in advance so everyone knew what to expect.

The best bit of running a group was the people. I have met some of the best people while doing Beltane, and have pulled other friends into it too. My advice for anyone thinking of applying to be a Group Organiser is to be prepared for long nights, busy walk-throughs and a lot of fun.

Every year I think “why am I still doing this?” and every year I come back because I love it and I love the people.