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Support for Event Organisers

Guidance on planning an event to take place in the Borough of Rushcliffe

Towns and villages across Rushcliffe regularly host outdoor events. Whether your event is large or small, for charity or commercial purposes, if you need some guidance during the planning process Rushcliffe Borough Council's Community Development team aim to help. Whether you need helping finding a venue or making sure you are properly licensed, our experienced officers will be able to offer guidance. For support contact Rushcliffe Borough Council on 0115 9819911 or email arts@rushcliffe.gov.uk 

Managing public events safety

When planning events, organisers are encouraged to follow the Events Industry Forum's The Purple Guide and the Nottinghamshire A-Z Event Planning Guide which provide useful local information on subjects such as licensing, food safety and highways. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) produces useful guidance to help event organisers to meet health and safety obligations.

Rushcliffe Event Safety Advisory Group

The role of Rushcliffe Event Safety Advisory Group is to promote good standards of safety at all public events in the Borough and ensure best practice is followed, in order to:

  • promote high levels of safety and welfare at events by giving advice;
  • promote good practice in safety and welfare planning for events; and
  • ensure events cause minimal adverse impact.

The group provides a single point of contact for organisers, ensuring all agencies are aware of events taking place that the public may attend in the Borough. For more information about Safety Advisory Groups (SAG) in Nottinghamshire please read our Event SAG terms of reference.

How to submit details of a public event

You can submit basic details of your event to Rushcliffe Borough Council by filling our an Event Notification Form. Organisers of large-scale events, or those which have unusual or hazardous elements, may be invited to attend a meeting of the Event Safety Advisory Group to present their management plans.

General event guidance materials

Martyn’s Law 

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, also known as Martyn’s Law, received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025 and is expected to start being enforced in 2027. The purpose of the Act is to improve protective security and organisational preparedness across the UK by requiring that those responsible for certain qualifying premises and events consider how they would respond to a terrorist attack.  

An event may be classed as a Qualifying Event if it meets all of the following criteria:

  • The event takes place within a clearly defined event area or site boundary.
  • Members of the public are able to attend, whether entry is free or paid.
  • There is a form of controlled access to the event, such as tickets, wristbands, invitations, bookings, payment, or another type of entry check.
  • It is reasonable to expect that 800 or more people could be present at the same time during the event.
  • The event is not covered by one of the specific exemptions set out in the legislation. [Martyn’s L...ProtectUK]

If your event meets these criteria, you will have legal responsibilities under Martyn's Law. These include considering the risk of a terrorist attack, planning how people would be kept safe during an incident, and implementing proportionate security procedures and measures appropriate to the size and nature of the event. 

Note: The legislation is based on the maximum number of people reasonably expected to be present at the same time, not the total number of attendees across the whole event. Organisers who are unsure whether their event is a Qualifying Event should review the official guidance and seek further advice if required.

If you organise public events, we advise you to familiarise yourself about Martyn’s Law. This will help you plan ahead and ensure that your future events meet the new safety standards.

For more information

Counter Terrorism Threat Level

Although every organiser would like to think that their events are safe, the threat from terrorism is real and unfortunately increasingly unpredictable, with public spaces and crowded events being an attractive target for terrorists. The current UK threat level is SEVERE meaning an attack is considered highly likely. Take time to validate your readiness. ProtectUK | Home is a trusted and reliable source of free counter terrorism protective security and preparedness advice, guidance and learning for venues and public spaces across the United Kingdom. Learn more about the current threat level in the UK.

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