What can your event achieve?
Community events can be used for a variety of purposes, including:
- Asking residents for ideas about developing community green space
- Identifying volunteers or setting up a community group to help deliver projects
- Celebrating a local event
- Encouraging use of community facilities.
Make it accessible
Make sure you organise events that are appealing to as many people as possible. There are lots of different events that you could organise, including:
- Healthy activities like play and sports events, community clean up's or green gyms
- Art and cultural events such as music, theatre, and dance sessions
- Cooking classes, community BBQs, tea dances or street parties
- Wildlife events including nature surveys, building bat and bee boxes, seed planting and food growing
- Organised day trips to other community facilities.
Know your requirements
When organising your event, you'll want to consider:
- Getting the landowner's permission and making sure relevant licences are in place
- How best to organise and support your volunteers
- Meeting health and safety requirements including first aid provision and food hygiene
- Do you need to get insurance for the event
- How to get photographic permission, particularly of young or vulnerable people
- An alternative plan for poor weather
- Making arrangements to clean up after the event.
Advertise your event
Make sure you let other residents know about your event in plenty of time. You might:
- Use leaflets, posters or provide details to local newspapers and radio
- Find a local celebrity, councillor, or Mayor that could help promote your event
- Consider using social media, or your own web page to let other residents know.
Finding support
There are a range of community organisations that may be able to offer you support. These include Wildlife Trusts, the Police and Youth Services.
If you are planning on running an event in one of Places for People's neighbourhoods, contact your Neighbourhood Officer. They'll be able to help you get your event organised and running safely and smoothly.
