Insurance For Lace Groups and Teachers
A Short Guide by Amanda Binns
The Lace Guild staff have been fielding lots of questions about insurance for Lace Groups in recent months. We want to do all we can to support you in finding the right solution for your group, so I have written this article to give you more information and encourage you and your independent groups to find the best solution to cover your legal obligations with regard to insurance cover. When we run a class (even a self-help group) or event, this is classed as a “workshop” which legally requires insurance. The Lace Guild has received feedback from groups that insurance was “too expensive”, or “could not be found”. There is a feeling that the Lace Guild should be obliged to supply insurance to groups. Unfortunately, this is not the case because groups are not affiliated to (controlled by) The Lace Guild in any way.
In my personal experience as a lace teacher, I have found that there is insurance available for craft groups/classes, that it will cover you for your demonstrating to the public and cover your tutor if you have one. It is also affordable, as long as you take the cost into account at the start of your group’s membership year; your members will be covered by the insurance and the membership fee can be set to include a contribution from each member towards the cost.
What is Insurance?
Insurance is a financial product that protects people and their property from financial loss. It's a contract between an insurance company and a policyholder. In exchange for a fee, the insurance company agrees to pay the policyholder if certain events occur.
Why do I need Insurance?
It is crucial that you ensure that the correct insurance is in place when hosting craft classes. This is to cover you for any possible risks, otherwise you could be held liable if your students or group members were to injure themselves (or a third party), damage goods, equipment, property, or create a hazard.
You could be personally liable for legal costs and it may end up costing you a small fortune attempting to settle any cases opened against you, including injuries to a third party, paying for repairs to damage or for the replacement of goods.
Craft class and workshop insurance is available to protect you against losses in the event of a claim for damages. Without craft cover, you could be liable if:
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A member of the group has an accident that causes damage to themselves, your goods or your premises.
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A member of the group causes a hazard that results in damage at a third-party premises while participating.
What Insurance do I need?
To run a fully protected craft workshop, you’ll need Public Liability Insurance. This type of cover will allow you to be covered from legal action and large costs due to damages.
The main areas of cover that you’ll need when working directly with the public are:
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Personal injuries to members of the public.
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Loss of or damage to third party property.
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Death or disablement to the public.
Product Liability Insurance will also protect you against compensation payouts if your products (or when directly teaching a craft class, a student’s product) causes damage or injury.
How do I find the right Insurance?
As you would expect there are many insurance products out there. Everyone should do their own research, but to get you started, here are some of the products that I have looked at when thinking about insurance cover for my own classes and workshops:
https://craftcover.com/craft-workshop-insurance/
https://www.policybee.co.uk/charity-insurance/club-insurance
https://www.markeluk.com/charity-insurance/club-society-association-insurance
https://www.accessinsurance.co.uk/community/craft-club-insurance
What questions should I ask the Insurer before signing a Contract?
Questions could include, but are not limited to, the following:
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Will we be covered for our classes held every week/month?
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Will we be covered for events such as Lace Days, Open Days held at our usual venue where the public can visit?
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Will we be covered for demonstrating our lace at another venue where the public are present?
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Will our tutor be covered as an individual?
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Will our group stock of materials be covered?
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Will we be covered for transporting displays/equipment (some policies do, some do not)?
Can I get craft workshop insurance if I teach crafting from my home?
Yes, you can, but check it out and do not assume you are covered by an existing policy for teaching in other premises. Craft workshop insurance can cover the host premises, whether this be in your own home, in a hired-out village hall or local church, but it’s important to check the detail with your provider!
You also need to be aware that if you host craft workshops at home, it may affect your home insurance if an incident occurs and you have previously failed to inform your personal home insurance company of your classes.
Always let your home insurance providers know that you are hosting classes to members of the public in your home to secure the correct level of cover.