Running a safe and legal fundraising activity

You’ll be amazed at how many licences exist to cover different events – whether it is a street collection, selling alcohol, holding a raffle, playing music in a public place or providing food or drink, but don’t let this scare you. The fundraising team are on hand to help and signpost you to the correct authorities. It takes very little time to apply for these licenses, and it makes sure everything is safe and legal.

Food: If you are selling homemade goodies such as cakes, biscuits or cream teas, please visit www.food.gov.uk for guidelines on preparing, handling and cooking food. This will also give you information on allergies and the importance of labelling food. If you are using an external caterer, make sure they have a Food Hygiene Certificate and Public Liability Insurance – the Hospice always looks for 5* caterers and has a list of trusted suppliers for the local area.

Risk assessments: With all our events, we want people to have fun, but it’s equally important that everyone is safe – therefore, it is important to think about a risk assessment for your event. This will help highlight any issues that need attention. If you have never done a risk assessment before, the fundraising team can send over a template and answer any questions.

Providing first-aid and toilets: For an event involving significant numbers of people attending, you will need to consider having first-aid on-site and portable toilets if the venue doesn’t provide them. Once again, we are happy to suggest trusted companies who are supportive of the Hospice.

Photography and data protection: If you are planning on taking photos or videos at an event, you need to make attendees aware that this is happening and how you plan on using the images so they can opt-out if they wish. If children and young people (those below the age of 18) are featured in any of the photos or videos that you intend to use in the promotion of your event, you will need to get parental consent.

Public Liability Insurance: If your event involves members of the public, you may need Public Liability Insurance. If you are hiring a venue, they may already have this in place, so please check with them first.