VE Day 80th Anniversary: Organising a Safe Event
01/23/2025
This year marks 80 years since Victory in Europe. To commemorate the occasion, communities across the country will be getting together on 8th May 2025.
If your local council, charity or not-for-profit is planning to host its own event to mark the occasion, Zurich Resilience Solutions Liability Risk Consultants, have provided 8 key points to think about when planning your event.
Tips for holding a safe VE Day Event
Planning
Arrange who is organising the event and highlight key roles and responsibilities. Is further health and safety advice needed (for example, from a specialist advisor), and do relevant agencies (Fire and Rescue, Police, Environmental Health etc.) need to be notified?
When planning the event, make sure to capture the following:
- What are the risks, size and complexity linked with arranging the event?
- What emergency arrangements need to be made (e.g. first aid, lost children, etc.)?
- How will control measures be monitored tracked and followed?
- How will the crowd be managed? Find out more on the HSE page – Managing crowds safely.
An event safety management plan should be in place for every event. To help get started, read this article by HSE on Getting started.
Location
Many locations will need permission from the land owner to use and there may be restrictions in place such as noise. Check with the land owner if there are any local rules that should be followed.
If you’re organising a street party, road closures may be needed. Contact your local authority to find out what’s required - they can also provide further guidance about managing the event.
Risk assessments
When planning any event, it’s important to think about the possible risks in advance, and record how you’ll control them. This can be from a slip or trips, to gas and electrical equipment.
Risk assessments should be completed before, during and after the event. For help on how to complete a risk assessment, take a look at our article on How to do a risk assessment for your not-for-profit.
Fire safety
Include fire safety risks and a fire evacuation plan as part of your event planning, especially if you’re lighting beacons or using fireworks. Make sure to include the following as a minimum:
- Evacuation routes for people with mobility issues, the elderly, and children as they may need extra help.
- Specific fire safety precautions that should be taken to prevent or reduce a fire.
- Include fire wardens to keep an eye on any activity involving fires.
For more information on what to include in your fire safety plan, check out this Home Office guide– Fire safety risk assessment: Open air events and venues.
Temporary structures
When setting up temporary structures such as stages, seating or marquees, there are certain arrangements you should put in place, to make certain they are safe. Follow the HSE comprehensive guidance on this.
Alcohol licence
If you’re selling alcohol at your event, contact your local council, police and environmental health to make them aware. You do this by making an application for a Temporary Events Notice.
Serving food
A one-off street party or small event with food being sold or given away may not automatically need formal registration. However, organisers will need to make sure basic food hygiene is followed. Organisers of larger events should check with the local council whether they need to register their food activities.
Before serving food at any event, food allergies and intolerances need to be thought about. Clearly label ingredients on menus, tables and food stalls, so that people are fully aware of what they could be eating. The Food Standards Agency gives practical advice on managing allergens and food hygiene.
Insurance
Despite taking all of the above into consideration, things sometimes still go wrong. It’s important to make sure you have insurance cover in place for your event and that any suppliers also have their own insurance.
Contact your insurance provider as soon as you know you’ll be holding an event and talk through the activities you have planned to make sure you’re covered. If you’d like more information about the insurance we offer, visit our charities and not-for-profits insurance page, or local councils insurance page.
Useful Links
- Appointing a competent person
- Event safety: Incidents & Emergencies
- Event Safety: Getting Started
- Firework Safety
- Fire safety in the workplace
- Event Safety: Temporary Demountable Structures
- Providing food at community and charity events
