Glastonbury festival babies and solstice quirks | Letters

Babies were once not uncommon at the festival, and some couples perhaps planned a summer solstice birth, writes Dr Chris Howes, while Hugh Levinson poins out that the earliest sunrise and latest sunset do not occur on the solstice

I was interested to read the piece about Heidi Wesson, whose baby was delivered in our medical centre at the 2013 Glastonbury festival and was delighted to see the picture of her with her beautiful daughter Emelia (I gave birth at Glastonbury festival, Weekend, 22 June). Heidi is mistaken, however, in her belief that nobody else has had a baby on site.

We have provided medical services at Glastonbury for 40 years and in our early days festival babies were not uncommon. In total, there must have been 10 or a dozen babies born on the site. It used to be said that some couples deliberately planned conception with a solstice birth in mind. One birth I particularly remember took place in a caravan one misty morning before dawn; I think the baby may have been named Worthy.

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