Best intentions do not always result in the best outcome, which is why public liability insurance is important.
I remember watching a gallant young gentleman help an old lady across the road. He saw her staring across and teetering on the edge. ‘Come on let me help you’ he said, taking her arm firmly and stepping out into the road.
So it was rather amusing when they arrived at the other kerb and he turned to her with a smile on his face only to meet the buckle of her handbag as she swung away with uncanny vigour.
‘Take me back you idiot. I was just looking at the name of the shop’.
I remember ‘helping’ someone when I was walking the dog. There was a mallet lying in the middle of the pavement outside someone’s house. He was stood on his doorstep and nodded politely as I passed.
I picked up the mallet and started to walk up his path only for my feet to start sinking into the newly laid concrete. My dog managed to have a good paddle round too as I struggled to remove us both from his garden.
Rather ungratefully, he didn’t thank me for returning the mallet.
Best intentions don’t always bear the best results do they? I remember being told by a nurse that she thought she may be in trouble for giving first aid to a lady in the street. Apparently the woman was trying to say that her help made things worse!
There are so many good people who put themselves out for us, be they unpaid councillors, charity shop volunteers, volunteers organising carnivals and such events, or charities trying to raise money for wonderful causes.
Sadly, there is also a genuine need to ensure you are insured in case someone is injured at an event that you organised and you were found to be negligent.
Fund raising is a vital part of keeping local organisations and charities running, but fund raisers must bear in mind that they need to manage and mitigate the risks involved to make sure their efforts will generate much-needed cash but protect their interests at the same time.
Before any activity begins, the planning process should include a risk assessment to prevent any pitfalls turning into serious liabilities or losses for the charity.
Start by putting the appropriate public liability policy in place – it will need to cover slips, trips and falls, sales of food and drink, lost or stolen money, cancellation, or the loss or damage to hired equipment.
If your existing cover doesn’t include the specific activities you’re planning, you may need a Special Event Public Liability Insurance policy which protects event organisers against legal action or damages to guests or property. This could be necessary if you are selling goods, especially food and drink, to members of the public, as you could be held liable if they are taken ill after eating at your event.
Don’t be put off doing good, but look after your own peace of mind too!