Follow our guide so you have a good experience with your group. We strongly advise that you complete a risk assessment in accordance with your community group policy and follow any recommendations from that too. You can download a template risk assessment here.
Make sure your volunteers:
- dress for the weather – they should wrap up well if it’s cold or windy, waterproof coats and boots if rainy and loose clothing with a hat if hot and sunny
- wear sunscreen and hats – even a cloudy day can burn fair skinned people
- can be seen – everyone needs to wear a high vis vest
- take care on slippery or steep surfaces
- avoid nettle, thorny hedges and bramble patches – guard against scratches and carry a first aid kit in case they do get scratched
- drink plenty of water – volunteers should bring water bottles (refillable of course!)
- don’t go on roads – warn volunteers not to go near busy roads
- stay safe – check tide times and make sure you know where is safe when beach cleaning
- don’t pick up hazardous materials (such as needles, medical waste, dead animals)
- ensure children and/or vulnerable adults are supervised at all times
- work together in small groups and agree a time and place for the whole group to meet up again, ensure group leaders/supervising adults have mobile phones in case of an emergency
- in the case of an outbreak or ongoing risk of Coronavirus or similar epidemic, group leader(s) to put correct measures in place, for example, physically distancing and limited groups sizes in line with current government guidelines