Insurance
The Ramblers Civil Liability Insurance
The Ramblers’ Association arranges insurance cover for all its activities to protect individual members from claims that arise from any activities they undertake on behalf of the Ramblers.
The cover applies as long as
- The activity is an official Ramblers activity organised or approved by a Group or Area committee, a member of staff or a trustee and
- The activity is led or organised by a paid-up Ramblers member and/or a volunteer registered by Ramblers staff.
The insurance is particularly of interest to walk leaders and back markers as they are the volunteers who would otherwise be most vulnerable to claims against them on the grounds of enhanced duty of care. But it also covers other activities such as committee meetings, campaign rallies, publicity events and even social events – though there are caveats attached for working parties using tools. It also covers all Ramblers members, not just organisers and leaders.
The insurance policy is called “Public Liability” and is underwritten by Royal Sun Alliance.
The insurance does not include either medical or personal accident cover, so an individual injured on an RA activity cannot automatically claim compensation or medical expenses direct from the Ramblers’ Association or the insurers.
For an insurance claim to be successful, the injured party has to be able to demonstrate that they have suffered as a result of negligence or through an intention to harm. This principle is particularly important to remember in the context of led walks. Here, for a successful claim to be made against the Ramblers, the injured party needs to show that harm was committed on purpose, or that the walk leader abdicated their responsibility in a reckless or negligent manner.