Health and Safety and Risk Assessment
It's all about common sense. Follow the professional advice of equipment manufacturers and staff supervising any facilities. Events need to be adequately assessed to identify, minimise and control the risk to all those taking part and members of the public who may be attending.
Macmillan cannot accept liability for any loss, damage or injury suffered by yourself or anyone else as a result of taking part in a fundraising event.
For more information please contact your local fundraising office
Some useful documents
Event safety planner - questions you need to ask [PDF, 32 KB]
Safety plan [PDF, 27 KB]
Risk assessment form [PDF, 28 KB]
Food hygiene
This is vitally important. No one likes a poorly tummy, especially as a reward for raising money for a charity. Please take great care when handling food and work to basic rules for safe preparation, storage, display and cooking. Make sure your event is unforgettable for the right reasons!
A Food Standards Agency booklet 'Preventing Food Poisoning - Good hygiene at home' can be downloaded from http://www.food.gov.uk. Further information can be found from the website: http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/keepingfoodsafe and from your local authority.
Data protection
Make sure any electronic or paper record you keep about people involved in a fundraising event complies with the Data Protection Act. As a rule of thumb, don't keep information about people any longer than you have to, and don't share information or data about someone without their permission.
Insurance
By organising a fundraising event you are responsible for taking adequate steps to ensure that the event poses no risk to others. Check that any buildings or equipment that you hire are covered. Often insurance is included in the hire fee but not always.
You may need to consider arranging public liability cover for some events which will protect you against claims made by third parties for injury or property damage as a result of negligence.
For more information please contact your local fundraising office.
Alcohol and public entertainment license
If your event involves the sale of alcohol and/or live or recorded music, dancing, showing of a film or performance of a play, an indoor sporting event (including a boxing or wrestling match), or any entertainment of a similar nature, you may need a licence. Liaise with your local authority, the police and other relevant parties as necessary. Your local fundraising office can help you with this.
Collections
Public collections are donation collections that take place in a publicly owned place. Public collections are governed by strict legal requirements and must be licensed by the Local Authority. Before you approach your local authority for a license, you must contact your local fundraising office.
Private collections are collections on private premises and do not need the permission of the local authority; only the permission of the owner of the premises concerned (e.g. pub, supermarket).
Raffles, lotteries and prize draws
There are strict legal requirements governing the organisation of raffles, lotteries and prize draws. Please do not organise a raffle without checking first the guidelines with your local fundraising office.