Community group insurance

Get cover for staff, volunteers, property, vehicles and more

Flexible cover for community get-togethers

Millions of people in the UK volunteer through groups, clubs and organisations. The social value of these is huge but, as with any public-facing activities, there are risks. So you’ll want to have the right insurance in place to protect the group and its participants, volunteers, and any property.  

We offer cover for a wide variety of community groups, and can adapt your policy in line with your risks (and budget). We'll also be on hand for advice and support relating to safeguarding, health and safety, and risk management evaluations. 

We’re proud to be the trusted broking partner to ukactive - which serves over 4,000 members and partners from across the public, private and third sectors - and Locality, which supports 1600 community-focused organisations.

Expert support

We work with thousands of charities and not-for-profits to help them manage risk.

Competitive prices

Value for money matters. We offer well-priced policies without compromising on quality.

Personal service

We'll review, revise, and develop your insurance over the term, to help you stay fully protected.

What is community group insurance?

Community group insurance provides specialist cover against the unique risks associated with community groups and their charitable activities. From youth clubs to local transport groups, different types of cover address different risks.

For example, community groups often coordinate fundraising events or support vulnerable members of the public. Both of these can affect the cover you need.

Of course, community groups also have a duty of care to their staff, service users, and volunteers. This includes making sure they’re financially protected if things go wrong.  

Walking group standing outside caravan

What community group insurance can cover

A community group insurance policy could start with charity public liability insurance, which protects against third-party liability claims. This means if someone (other than an employee) is injured, dies, or their property is damaged and they accuse the group or its members, claims costs are covered. So medical fees, legal expenses and any settlements would be taken care of. 

Other types of insurance that community groups could consider include: 

  • Employers' liability insurance: if the group employs anyone, this covers the cost of a claim if they are injured or ill through their work (it can also include volunteers).
  • Building and contents insurance: this can include money, stock, contents and equipment cover if a fire, flood, theft, accidental or malicious damage happens.  
  • Motor insurance: this is provided on an any-driver basis, so staff and volunteers can be insured to drive your vehicles (if they meet age and experience criteria).
  • Trustee indemnity insurance: protects the personal liability of trustees and committee members if they’re sued for a wrongful act, including breach of trust.
  • Legal expenses: covers legal costs of disputes if the group needs to take legal action or defend itself, such as for contract disputes. 
  • Cyber insurance: protection for the fallout of data breaches, malicious cyber hacks, or other data security threats.

If you’re not sure which of these you need, our broking team is ready to help. 

Is community group insurance a legal requirement?

Community group insurance isn't mandatory. However, if the group employs anyone, employers’ liability insurance is a legal must. This applies if you have full-time staff, temporary and part-time staff, work experience, or apprentices. It can also include volunteers, though volunteers are sometimes covered by public liability insurance.

Otherwise, it’s important to properly assess the risk associated with your community group to make sure you’re fulfilling your duty of care and your legal obligations. Trustees have a legal duty to act in a community group’s best interests. This is especially in relation to the group’s assets, resources, service users, staff and volunteers.

Beyond insurance

  • We’ll build a long-term partnership you can rely on. That's an insurance policy to protect your organisation and its service users, and regular reviews, so you stay protected. 
  • We can help you manage risk in compliance with the relevant legislation. Services include safeguarding, health and safety audits, and risk management evaluation. 
  • Our in-house claims service and close relationships with insurers makes for an easy and efficient claims process. We’ll be by your side throughout, ready to answer your questions and keep things moving.
Community group in high-vis working together outdoors

Community group insurance FAQs

Public liability insurance isn’t a legal necessity for community groups, but it’s sensible to consider it.

Injury and property damage can and do happen. If your group is engaging with the public or putting on events, it can open up costly legal defence costs and compensation claims if things go wrong. Public liability insurance would cover these potentially unaffordable costs.

If you’re planning on running community group events, the landlord or local authority may ask that you have public liability insurance in place before you’re allowed to book a venue. 

Of course, community groups have a duty of care to everyone involved in running them. This means making sure groups activities are done responsibly, to reduce the likelihood of accidents. 

Fundraising events can be vital for community groups to thrive. But there are plenty of risks involved if they include members of the public, employees, and volunteers. For example, what if a someone injures themselves during your activities, or gets food poisoning after a bake sale? 

Whether you're holding a raffle, staging a performance, or hosting a charity auction, charity events insurance will help make sure you’re financially protected. This includes cover for cancellation and curtailment, employers’ and public liability and money, stock, contents, and equipment cover.
 

Yes, we can provide cover for unincorporated associations.

An unincorporated association is an organisation set up by a group of people who come together for purposes other than making a profit. For example, village hall associations, a voluntary walking group, members’ club, or sports club.

You don’t need to be registered to set one up, but if you make a profit you may need to pay corporation tax in the same way as a limited company. 
 

We can provide specialist cover for a range of community groups and activities. A handful of examples are:

  • Youth clubs
  • Leisure trusts
  • Community centres
  • Village halls
  • Residents’ associations
  • Arts and crafts classes
  • Playgroups
  • Parent and toddler groups
  • Drama, dance, and theatre groups
  • Community transport groups 

Ready to go?

Charities with an annual income of under £350K can get a quote online with Markel Direct – for everything else, contact us

Get a quote

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Arrange a callback - Community group insurance

Please complete your details below and one of our team will call you back as soon as they are available.

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Your details

Please select a date for us to call. Please note that we are open Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm, and closed on bank holidays.
What time would you like us to call?

Our Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice includes information on the scope of our service and how we will handle your data.

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2 + 1 =
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This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.