Organising an event on Fenland District Council land

Information for event organisers: how to apply to hold an event, find land, get relevant permits and more

Planning for an event

We've created this page to give advice on organising a successful event. It includes tips on maximising your resources, raising funds, managing your accounts - and most importantly, creating a fun and successful event for all.

For any event being organised, it is expected that a competent (appropriately trained, skilled and experienced) event organiser should ensure the relevant arrangements are planned for.

If event organisers do not personally have the knowledge, skills, and experience to complete tasks it is expected that they employ competent companies to undertake them on their behalf.

Before booking an event, we ask that applications for events be made 3 months prior to the event. This will be considered in application decisions.

Applications will be referred to the Fenland District Council Land Approval Group. Meetings are held monthly so please expect response times accordingly.

Application

If you're planning an event in Fenland, please complete the pre-event application form.

Before completing an application form, please ensure you have the following documents:

A risk assessment for the proposed event
A site plan for the proposed event
Insurance policies appropriate for the proposed event
Waste Management arrangements
Food Safety and Hygiene arrangements (if applicable)
An Event Management Plan

If your event meets the criteria for comments from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), you may have to provide additional documents. These may include:

an Event Map
an Event Timetable
a Traffic Management Plan
a Fire Safety Plan
a First Aid Plan
Licenses
a contingency plan for dealing with major incidents or unexpected events
Toilets and Hand Washing facilities
a Fire Risk Assessment

An application may be referred to the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) if the event considered to be 'high risk'. This may be due to events using inflatables or the timeframe of the event.

Forming a Committee

The first step to a successful event is forming a committee. This will allow your dedicated group to plan ahead and divide up tasks and responsibilities. An event will only be successful with community backing so gauging the audience is important too.

Successful events tend to have committees made up of a wide range of people and organisations. This may include local people, local businesses, tenants' associations, schools, Church groups and community groups.

A group usually needs to have a formal set of rules of a constitution to apply for grant funding. This will include electing a Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary and opening a bank or building society account.

Applying for charitable status often provides more opportunities. The gov.uk website has more information about how to apply for charitable status.

Many community organisations within Cambridgeshire have chosen to become members of Cambridge Council for Voluntary Services (CCVS). This has allowed them to benefit from advice tailored to their needs. CCVS can also offer training on many topics including budgeting, safeguarding issues, health and safety, securing funding and working with the media.

Understanding the skills within your group will help with event planning. It will help you to assign roles relevant to skills and experience.

Appointing a competent event safety manager is particularly important. You will need someone to assess risks, liaise with other people and agencies and to be responsible for safety on the day.

You will also benefit from a Committee Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. These are key roles to the smooth running of the group. Previous experience of these roles is of benefit but not essential. Accessing the right financial training and understanding is important.

Accessing resources and finance

Volunteers are a valuable resource as are facilities, equipment, materials and refreshments. You may wish to contact local branches of multinational businesses who can often contribute from a local sponsorship fund in response to some simple publicity for them.

Local village halls can be a useful hub for your event, offering power and toilet facilities for your volunteers.

Local businesses may offer food and refreshments for your volunteers. Giving food vouchers to volunteers is an excellent and simple written thank you for their time.

For constituted community groups, there are many private grant funds available depending on the focus of your event. There are many small grant funding streams available to community groups, some of which are available on the Grantfinder website.

Self-financing is always an option - for example, charging stallholders to hire a pitch. Charging businesses for advertising in your event brochure and asking for donations or charging an entry fee are also all good income streams which can be put towards next year's event.

Things to consider

Once your committee is in place and your budget is agreed, you might want to consider:

Your ideas and priorities - what you trying to achieve and why?
Setting a draft programme - are you having games, performers, acts, stalls?
Feedback from previous events - what worked, what didn't?
Publicity - when and how will you publicise the event?
Roles - who is doing what, and by when?
Recruiting stewards and helpers on the day of the event
Getting experienced Event and Stage Managers to ensure the smooth running of the event
When will the event take place - are there any conflicting local events?
What and how much First Aid cover is required?
Will you be sending out contracts?
What will you do if you have to cancel the event?
What procedures are in place for receiving and paying out money?

What the Council can do to help

The Council offers facilities and open spaces for hire and can offer services such as waste removal.

For non-chargeable events in Council owned parks we can deliver waste receptacles and then collect and dispose of the waste. For chargeable events there is a small fee for collection and disposal of waste. We do ask that for any event that you complete your own litter picking and present the bins for collection.

Unfortunately we cannot allow community groups to use licences held by the Council due to regulatory requirements. Each community group will need to identify if a licence is required and make an application. Fees and charged are reviewed yearly and there are price reductions for community groups and charities.

If you need further advice about your event, you can contact the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) or email sag@fenland.gov.uk.

Permissions

Certain types of activities will require different types of permission or licence. Examples include selling alcohol, running certain types of raffle, arranging the performance of live music or closing a road. This may be subject to a fee. Some common examples are given below.

Land

We have listed the land that the council owns that could be a possible location for an event.

March - Market Place, City Road Car Park and Lorry Park, West End Park, George Campbell Leisure Centre and Library Car Park, Area of grassed open space in front of the Library, Brewin Chase.
Wisbech - Wisbech Park, Somers Road Car Park, Church Terrace Car Park, Chapel Lane Car Park.
Whittlesey - Manor Leisure Centre Playing Fields, Grosvenor Road Car Park, Station Road Car Park.
Chatteris - Wenny Road Playing Field, Furrowfield Road Car Park, Furrowfield Road open space.

If you're unsure about who owns the land you intend to use, you can do a 'Title Register' search on the Land Registry website for a small fee.

Licences

Common types of licences needed include:

Licences for regulated entertainment
Temporary Event Notices (TEN)
Raffles and Small Lottery Society Licences
Street Collections

Find out more about how to apply for Licences issued by the Council.

If a licence is required before an event, please email licensing@fenland.gov.uk.

There are other licences and permits that you may need to get that are not issued by Fenland District Council.

You may need to apply for a PRS and/or a PPL licence if you are planning live or recorded music at your event. Further guidance is available at gov.uk.

Road closures

If your event requires a road closure or may disrupt the public highway, you need to get the relevant permission from Cambridgeshire County Council.

Insurance

Proper insurance is the best way to feel confident you are covered for all eventualities. Public Liability Insurance is a requirement for anyone running an event. If you intend to apply to use someone else's land they will most likely want to see your insurance cover.