Holding events in our parks

Planning for a safe event

Many events that take place in Runnymede Borough are not organised by professional event planners but by members of the community kind enough to give up their spare time to organise events.  

Event organisers need to compile certain necessary documentation to demonstrate that their event has been planned safely. Past experience of running an event for many years does not automatically mean the event has been delivered safely. 

We appreciate that volunteer organisers may not have experience with compiling all the necessary documentation, so we have produced a suite of guidance that might assist event organisers with their planning. If event organisers are not sure how to record their plans, we have also produced some template - you are not obliged to use these templates and you are of course free to record the information in a different format if you prefer.

The guidance and templates are on the safety documentation page.

Event organisers need to prepare the following documents:

  • Event management plan demonstrating how you will ensure that your event is safe, has been properly planned, organised and managed
    • This should also include how you are going to manage licensable activities including the sale or supply of alcohol
  • Health and safety risk assessment
  • Fire risk assessment
  • Site plan
  • Traffic management plan and parking plan
  • Procedure for lost and found children and vulnerable persons
  • Your plans regarding the provision of first aid
    • Any other documents, e.g. 
      • Crowd management plan
      • Security plan
      • Water safety plan

It is important not only that you have made plans, but that you have recorded them in writing. If one of the key organisers is unexpectedly unavailable on the day of the event, other people can step in to run the event by referring to the documents. If there is an incident at the event, the event documentation will demonstrate how you planned your event safely. Also, any enforcing authorities investigating the incident may require to see the event documentation.

Safety Advisory Group

Some events may need to be discussed by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and you may be required to attend one or more SAG meetings so that the event can be discussed in advance to help event organisers consider all aspects of safety planning. 

To ensure that the SAG have time to review the arrangements for your event, please ensure the required documents are received by the Council as early as possible. Check timescale in the document below for submitting event documentation.

See the Safety Advisory Group page for more information about the SAG.

Please note that regardless of whether or not your event is to be discussed by the SAG, event organisers must prepare their safety documentation. 

Security and Terrorism

Whilst organising your event, it's important to consider security and the possibility of terrorism. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, also known as “Martyn’s Law” received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. This new Act will ensure the public are better protected from terrorism, by requiring certain public premises and events to be prepared and ready to keep people safe in the event of an attack.

The Government intends for there to be an implementation period of at least 24 months. This will enable those responsible for premises and events to have sufficient time to understand their new obligations, and to plan and prepare accordingly.

The government have issued factsheets, which can be found here Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025: factsheets on GOV.UK. Please see “Martyn’s Law: What You Need to Know” on the Protect UK website.

Both Gov.uk and the Protect UK website will provide updates as to when the requirements of the Act will come into force. Materials and guidance to support duty holders will be published on either Gov.uk or ProtectUK over this period. 

Whilst organisers of events that fall within the scope of the Act may wish to consider the requirements, there is no requirement to comply with them until the legislation comes into force. Event organisers do not need to spend money on consultants to be compliant with the legislative requirements. The Government’s statutory guidance will assist in determining whether premises or events are in scope of the legislation and, if so, which tier they fall within. The guidance will enable duty holders to make their own assessments on how they will meet the requirements of the relevant tier - and in turn make an assessment on whether they need to seek further support. Please be aware that neither the Home Office nor the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) endorse any third-party products or providers in respect of compliance with this legislation.

To help event organisers, the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) have issued Mitigation of Terrorist Threats at Venues During Ingress and Egress Guidance on increasing the protection of crowded places from a terrorist attack. 

You are strongly encouraged to undertake the 45 minute free ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) online awareness training to learn about the best practices to help counter terrorism and increase your security awareness. 

Protect UK has launched a "toolkit" of resources that provide important safety messages encouraging the public to trust their instincts and report anything that doesn’t feel right. It includes free content to use on websites social media, big screens and more. 

Event organisers are strongly encouraged to undertake the 45 minute free ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) online awareness training to learn about the best practices to help counter terrorism and increase your security awareness. 

Counter Terrorism Policing South East have prepared guidance for event organisers

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