Keep your fundraising safe and legal

Get insurance

• Our role: although we’re here to support you, BHF cannot be held liable for accidents, injuries, loss or damages as a result of your event.
• Public events: if your event involves the general public, it’s essential to have Public Liability Insurance in place. Many venues already have this, so check with them first.
• Private events: if you’re holding an event at home or on private property, make sure your insurance covers this too.

Prioritise health and safety

• First Aid: if your event involves many people, you need to put appropriate First Aid in place. You can get advice from St John Ambulance and British Red Cross. As a basic guide:
  • There should always be someone on hand to help at smaller events.
  • For larger events of around 500 people, there should be at least 2 qualified first-aiders on site.
  • If your event is even bigger than this, call our fundraising team on 0300 330 3322 for advice.
• Fundraising with food: if you’re offering food at your event, it’s important to keep everyone safe. Check the Food Standards Agency guidelines on preparing, handling, cooking and storing food.

Check licensing requirements

• Lottery licences: if you’re planning to hold a public collection or lottery, you may need a licence. Please call our team on 0300 330 3322.
• Raffles: some forms of raffle require a licence, but you can avoid this by running an ‘incidental lottery’. Read our guide to organising a raffle for more information on this.
• Other licences: we recommend checking with your local authority for any other special licences you may need. For example, you may need a licence to serve alcohol, use recorded music, or put banners and signs in public spaces.

Get the right permissions

• Public events: if you’re fundraising in a public place, it’s essential to get permission from your local authority or the property owner.
• Fundraising with children: if anyone under 18 is helping at your event, their parent or guardian must give written permission before they can fundraise.

Photos and data protection

• Taking photos: if you plan to take photos of people at your fundraiser, please get their consent and tell them how the photos will be used. For photos of children, you must get consent from a parent or guardian.
• Data protection: as a rule, only collect the information you need. Keep it safe, do not share it, and only keep it for as long as you need. You can find information on how we protect and use personal data in our privacy policy.

Useful resources

Continue your research using these resources:

• Organising a voluntary event – GOV.UK guidance 
• Running an event safely – HSE guidance 
• Safety Advisory Groups – HSE guidance 
• Risk assessment template and examples - HSE guidance