Resources & Guidance / Event safety

EVENT PLANNING AND SAFETY

We work closely with British Canoeing and with our insurance broker Marsh | Bluefin Sport to provide our clubs and event organisers with the latest guidance on Event Safety. Click the link below to find detailed advice from British Canoeing or read on for our detailed event planning guidance for Wales.

BC SAFETY GUIDANCE

Event planning guidance

Please note: These guidelines apply to public events and not to club events organised by clubs for their members only.


Canoe Wales supports our affiliated clubs, discipline committees and event partners with event safety planning advice and public liability insurance through Marsh | Bluefin Sport. We're committed to ensuring that paddlesport events in Wales are safe, fun and welcoming opportunities for people to enjoy being on the water.


To ensure the safety and well-being of all event participants, we require all organisers of public-facing paddlesport events held under our insurance to follow these event planning and safety guidelines:

 

  1. Events must be organised by a Canoe Wales-affiliated club, discipline committee or event partner. Affiliation must be valid on the day the event takes place. 
  2. The organising committee for an event must appoint an  Event Safety Officer
  3. The Event Safety Officer must have completed the British Canoeing Event Safety Training
  4. The Event Safety Officer must prepare a Risk Assessment and Event Safety Plan, which should be reviewed and signed off by the event organising committee. The trained Event Safety Officer is responsible for the implementation of the Event Safety Plan, which does not need to be submitted to Canoe Wales.
  5. The Risk Assessment and Event Safety Plan must follow the official British Canoeing Event Safety Management Guidance.
  6. All event participants and officials must hold On the Water (or equivalent) membership of Canoe Wales, British Canoeing, Scottish Canoe Association or the Canoe Association of Northern Ireland; or purchase a day membership. The current fee for day membership is £5 and is valid for the duration of the event. For any non-paddling event officials, On the Bank membership is also acceptable.
  7. If any of your event participants are under 18, you must appoint an Event Welfare Officer who will be responsible for safeguarding and child protection during the event, and you must prepare and implement an Event Welfare Plan, which can be incorporated into your Event Safety Plan. 
  8. Your Event Welfare Officer must have completed both Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Time to Listen training.
  9. If any incidents, accidents or near-misses take place during the event, you must report these as soon as possible using the online Incident Report Form. If an incident is likely to give rise to an insurance claim, you must also send a copy of the form to Marsh | Bluefin Sport - check our Insurance page for contact details.

 

Event planning FAQs

  • What is the BC Event Safety Training course and how do I find a course?

    This course prepares Event Safety Officers with the knowledge needed to follow all Event Safety Management Protocols at public-facing events. These courses are usually held 1-2 times a year in Wales or on request to coaching@canoewales.com. British Canoeing also maintains a list of open courses in England

  • What if our Event Safety Officer is unable to complete the course before the event?

    If it is not possible for the Event Safety Officer to complete the training course in advance of the event, they must contact coaching@canoewales.com at least six weeks before the event for support with preparing your event safety plan and risk assessment, which must be signed off by Canoe Wales prior to the event

  • How do we organise Day Membership for event participants?

    After the event, you should send a list of names, ages and postcodes for all day members along with their payment to the Canoe Wales head office. There is a template form you can use to collect fees as participants arrive on the day of the event, or you can incorporate this into on online event registration process, as long as you are able to provide the required information after the event. 

  • Can Club Associate members enter entry-level competitions?

    Yes, our membership regulations currently allow for Club Associate members of Canoe Wales to compete in entry level competitions held in Wales without purchasing a day membership or On the Water membership. They must be a Club Associate member of a club with current Canoe Wales affiliation and they must be representing the club at the event. Entry-level competitions include Division 4 Slalom events or similar.


    Please note that different rules may apply for events held outside of Wales.

  • Where can I find more information about preparing an event welfare plan?

    Guidance on how to prepare your plan can be found on our Safeguarding page in guidance document SPC-G10 Paddlesafe Events. There is also excellent guidance on the NSPCC website, including their interactive Safe Sports Event tool.

  • How do we find a Time to Listen training course for our Event Welfare Officer?

    You can find information about both safeguarding courses and upcoming course dates on our Safeguarding page.

  • What if our Event Welfare Officer is unable to complete a Time to Listen training course before the event?

     If it is not possible to complete the Time to Listen course in advance of the event, s/he must contact the Canoe Wales Lead Safeguarding Officer for advice and guidance at least six weeks before the event at safeguarding@canoewales.com.

  • What does the insurance cover?

    You can find more information about our public liability insurance on our Insurance page, where you will also find contact details for Marsh | Bluefin Sport if you have a specific question that you can't find the answer for.

Become an event partner

If you organise paddlesport events in Wales, you can become an affiliated Event Partner. This is a great way to get advice and support from Canoe Wales to plan and promote your event, and you will benefit from our public liability insurance.

Benefits
  • Public liability insurance up to £10 million
  • Advice on safety and safeguarding to help you plan a safe event
  • Promotion of your event through all Canoe Wales communication channels
  • Use of the Canoe Wales logo for your event communications
Terms and Conditions
  • All events organised by Affiliated Event Partners must follow the event guidance above and comply with all Canoe Wales policies, including our Code of Conduct, Equality Policy and our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies. 
  • Events must be for fewer than 300 participants. If you are planning an event with 300 or more participants, you must contact Canoe Wales for additional advice.
  • Your organisation must have a constitution or governing document.
  • The organisation must have a bank account to receive funds in its name. This account must not be the private account of any of the event organisers.
  • Event Partners must have current Event Partner Affiliation at the the time of any event organised under our insurance. 
  • If Canoe Wales has reason to believe that an Affiliated Event Partner has not followed the event guidance, their affiliation will be suspended pending an investigation.
  • If an investigation finds that the partner has violated the terms of their Event Partner Affiliation, affiliation will be terminated. 
  • The Event Partner has the right to appeal any decision to the Chair of the Canoe Wales Board of Directors.
  • Canoe Wales reserves the right to suspend Event Partner Affiliation if it believes an event may constitute a safety risk or bring Canoe Wales into disrepute. 

How to apply

Event partner affiliation costs £150 and lasts for 12 months. Fill out the application form by clicking the button below, and then we'll get in touch with your login details for our online payment system. You can also request an invoice at that time if you want to pay by cheque.
APPLY NOW

Fee waivers

We have a limited number of fee waivers available for event partners who can show how their event will help us to get a significant number of new Welsh paddlers on the water or get Welsh paddlers more engaged with the work of Canoe Wales. If your event will reach more than 100 people in Wales, you can apply for a fee waiver by emailing admin@canoewales.com and detailing how your event will help us to get more people paddling in Wales. Please note that fee waivers are not guaranteed and may come with additional terms and conditions, including for example, working closely with us to promote the event, making space at your event for a Canoe Wales stand, or making space in the schedule for a Canoe Wales course or activity.
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