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Step by step guide to completing the Combined Policy application form
Please take the time to use this information guide when completing your forms. Unfortunately we receive
application forms which are incorrect or incomplete which result in delays. To further support you we have
highlighted frequently asked questions to help you.
If you do have any queries about this application, TCV policies, membership or insurance please contact our
Customer Service team - 01302 388883 / email local-groups@tcv.org.uk.
Our insurance policy does have some limitations so it is important to complete the form in full. Please print
clearly to prevent spelling mistakes or type straight into the form wherever possible.
The following assumptions are made and you should contact us if they do not apply to your group:
Your group is independent from any other organisation
Your group is a non-profit making organisation
Your group has (or has applied for) a bank account in the group's name
Your group has fewer than 5 full time employees (or part-time equivalents)
Your group has a regular income of £120,000 or less
1) Your Application (page2)
Group Name
This is the name that will appear on your insurance certificate. This should be the full name you are legally
known as. Please do not use initials or abbreviations.
Group ID
This is your TCV membership number printed on all letters to you. If you are unable to find your group ID
number please contact Customer Services on 01302 388883. If you are applying for membership for the first
time then please leave this box blank.
Contact Details
The contact should be the person in charge of membership and insurance duties. The name, telephone
number and email may be published on our website map so your membership secretary can be contacted by
potential new members. If you would prefer your details to remain private then please tick box at the bottom of
page six which allows you to opt out of the website listing.
Date Group Formed
We are looking for a month and year. If you are unsure please enter something near rather than leaving it
blank.
Description of activities and nature of work
Please be clear what activities you will be undertaking during the policy year. These must be entered each
policy year, even if activities have not changed. We are not looking for your aims or objectives, just the basic
activities that you need to be insured on the policy for the forthcoming 12 months.
For guidance we currently use the following categories:
Animal Care
Boundary Maintenance
Education/Workshops
Food Growing
Gardening/Planting/Pruning
Litter picking/Tidying up
Meetings/Talks
Path Maintenance
Scrub/Invasive Species Clearance
Restoring/Preserving a green space
Others (please state)
Beach/Pond/River Care
Coppicing/Rural Crafts
Events*/Walks
Forest School
Habitat Management
Meadow Management
Orchard Management
Survey/Monitoring
Re-cycling/Composting
Woodland Management
Manual activities all count towards project days which form the base premium of your insurance. Non-manual
activities are covered automatically and do not need to be counted.
*You have cover for up to 500 people at any one time. If your event is expecting more than 500 people, if you are holding
a public bonfire or firework display or hiring a bouncy castle please contact Customer Services.
Number of Volunteers in the group
We are trying to establish the size of your group so this figure should be the total number of people involved in
your group.
Estimated number of Project Days
A project day consists of 8 hours of active manual work per volunteer so a project day can be split many ways:
1 person working 8 hours = 1 project day
2 people working 4 hours = 1 project day
4 people working two hours each = 1 project day
8 people working an hour each = 1 project day
For example: 10 volunteers work one hour each per week (52 hours per year)
10 x 52 = 520 hours, divide by 8 = 65 project days
We can cover groups who are conservation based but do not partake in any active manual work themselves.
These groups can tick the box for nil project days and take advantage of the reduced premium.
Our basic cover is for up to 500 Project days which equates to 4000 manual working hours and is usually
enough for most small groups. Larger groups may need to cover more project days. Our policy has options to
cover up to 3000 Project days.
Are you part of a parent organisation?
A parent organisation makes decisions for your group and controls the finances. It also holds the responsibility
and therefore liability for your group’s actions and should be insuring your activities under its own policy. Only
independent organisations can apply for a Public Liability policy. Membership or affiliation to another
organisation does not affect your independence so does not need to be declared.
Are you a registered charity?
This is just for information and will not affect your premium.
Annual Income
This is to help us gauge the size of your organisation so a projection will be adequate. We cannot cover groups
whose regular income exceeds £120,000 although large one-off grants will be acceptable. Please do not
include ring-fenced grants in your calculation.
Yes/No Questions (Page 3-5)
These questions are important to establish the risks faced by your organisation. The answers should not affect
your premiums but may see your application deferred to Zurich for authorisation, it is therefore important that
you elaborate on any Yes answers in the additional space provided at the end of the form (page 7). Some
questions are straight forward; others have been explained in greater detail:
Safeguarding questions (top block on page 3)
Are you responsible for the supervision of children or vulnerable adults on a regular basis?
You only need to tick yes to this question if children or vulnerable adults are left in your care. If parents, carers
or teachers are present then you can answer No and move onto the next block of questions.
Volunteers who have regular, unsupervised contact with children or vulnerable adults may need to
apply for a DBS check. If this statement relates to your activities then please complete the following
questions:
If your group members are ever left alone with the same child or vulnerable adult on a regular basis then the
additional 3 questions will need to be completed. If you always work together as a group then there would be
no unsupervised contact and the 3 questions can be ignored.
Q1 – straightforward Yes or No
Q2 – straightforward Yes or No
Q3 – Are records kept for at least 25 years? It is a requirement that you keep these documents for 25 years.
If you group have been active for less than 25 years but you have kept records so far then you can answer
Yes.
Insurance questions (2nd block on page 3)
1) Does your group employ any staff?
We cannot accept applications from groups with more than 5 full time staff (or part-time equivalents). All
groups who have contracts of employment with a paid employee must have Employers Liability Insurance. This
can be purchased separately. If you have answered Yes to this question but do not require the TCV policy
please advise who your policy is with. Self-employed contractors are not employees and should hold their own
Public Liability insurance.
2) Does the group fell trees?
We are happy to insure your group to fell trees (using hand tools) up to 15cm wide and 6 metres high so long
as a Risk Assessment is completed and safe practices are followed.
Trees larger than these dimensions should be felled by a qualified chainsaw user or contractor.
If this is not possible you can apply for permission to fell larger trees (by hand) by providing all the requested
information.
3) Do you use chainsaws?
The policy can be extended to cover the use of chainsaws by group members/volunteers who are qualified in
chainsaw use and hold a current TCV chainsaw permit. A pole pruner that uses a chainsaw attachment is
classed as a chainsaw. The extension is not required when bringing in professional contractors. If your group
already has chainsaw permit holders then please add the names and permit numbers in the additional space
provided. If you wish to apply for new permits please include a copy of the chainsaw certificates and/or
refreshers with your application. For further information, please contact Customer Services.
4) Are you involved in running adventure play facilities*, skate parks, BMX tracks, or similar?
*Adventure play facilities = a playground with an entrance fee.
We do not insure any leisure activities on this policy, nor will we insure the construction, maintenance or use of
such facilities. Zurich will be able to quote directly for a policy to include these activities but they are not
allowed on the TCV scheme. Please provide further details if you wish to receive a direct quote.
5) Do you have any play equipment used by children?
Play equipment = fixed outdoor apparatus such as swings and slides. Only answer yes if you own or are
responsible for the equipment.
Please provide the additional information requested and details of the inspections you undertake. There is no
insurance on this policy for loss or damage to the play equipment. If you need to insure the equipment please
see the All Risk Property insurance policy.
6) Do you use the application of heat in any of your activities?
We only need to tick yes when a naked flame is used to apply heat to something, i.e. a blow torch or welding
equipment. Private bonfires, campfires and cooking facilities are not classified as an application of heat and
are covered on the policy.
7) Do you carry out Health and Safety Risk Assessments for all planned projects?
Risk Assessments are a requirement of the policy where manual work is involved but also strongly recommend
for non-manual activities and any events you may hold. Risk Assessment templates are available to download
in the Health & Safety section of the Community Hub. If you use Risk Assessments completed by another
organisation please make sure you have copies as you may be asked for these in the event of a claim. There
is no need to add any further information for this answer.
8) Do you work on towers, heights above 5 metres, demolition, bridges, dams, viaducts, harbours,
docks, watercourse diversion or treatment of water or waste?
We are trying to establish if your group are open to the risk of falling from heights or if the group could cause
subsidence issues or flooding in the local area. Please provide further details if any of these apply to your
group.
9) Do you carry out work involving firearms, explosives or excavation?
The use of Firearms or explosives is excluded from the policy. Red squirrel groups can apply for permission to
dispatch caged squirrels with an air rifle only. Digging and excavation is allowed for up to 1 metre deep,
digging to depths over 1 metre will require special permissions. Please provide the requested information if you
are involved in these activities.
10) Do you carry out work in water?
We only need to know if you are wading into water. Working from water craft or on river banks is acceptable.
We can cover you to wade into water up to 1 metre in depth; anything over this requires special permissions.
Please provide all the requested information for referral to Zurich.
11) Does your group work on former quarries, mines, gravel pits or similar ‘previously excavated’
land?
Please confirm who owns the land you are working on. If it is owned by your group then we will need the
requested information and any proof of stability you may have. If you are not the land owner please advise who
the land owner is, the type of land and what permissions you have to work on it.
12) Does your group construct permanent footpaths or bridleways?
Maintenance of existing footpaths does not need to be declared, neither does work involving contractors.
Construction using natural methods and materials (such as woodchip) are acceptable. The construction of
paths, styles and steps using other methods require a referral so please include all the requested information.
13) Does your group hold events?
This question is for information only. Please let us know if you are hiring in any equipment or inflatable’s or if
you are holding a dog show or procession with motorised vehicles as these require special permissions. A
special event proposal form is available from Customer Services.
14) Has your group had any insurance claims in the last 3 years?
We only need to know about public liability or personal accident claims or incidents on this form.
Please include any claims declared and any incidents that may or may not result in a claim. If you have a
Zurich claim number then please include this, otherwise please quote the name of the insurer at the time and
the rest of the requested information.
2) Premium calculation – Page 6
This is where you calculate the annual cost of your insurance. The options on the left all have premiums next
to them. Once you have chosen an option please write the corresponding premium in the box on the right
called ‘Applicable rate’ Once all options have been selected you can add up the boxes on the right to find your
total premium, there are then two set fees to add in to create the total payable for this policy. Cheques should
be made payable to TCV.
Number of Project days and annual premium
On page 2 you were asked to complete a calculation of your project days. This figure should correspond to
one of the options. If you are not doing any manual work you can tick the box for Nil, otherwise you should fit
into one of the options.
Annual Cost of using Power Driven Machinery
By Power Driven Machinery we mean professional machines such as brush cutters or ride-on vehicles
powered by petrol, diesel, battery or generator. You do not need this extension to use electric or small battery
driven hand tools such as drills or saws. Chainsaws are not included in this category (see below)
Your public liability and personal accident cover will be extended to the use of such machines. The machines
themselves are not covered on this policy for theft, loss or damage. Please see the All Risk policy for this type
of cover.
Annual cost for use of chainsaws (based on the number of qualified users)
You need to pay a premium for each volunteer you wish to insure on the policy to use a chainsaw, regardless
of the number of chainsaws you may have or the number of users working at any one time.
If you have 4 or more, please submit your application for a quote in advance of the renewal date.
Annual cost for groups Owning, being trustees, lessees or custodians of any land
This is what we call land cover. It extends your Public Liability to the land which protects you 24 hours a day for
incidents relating to the land which may cause third party injury or damage to property; such as trees falling,
walls or fences collapsing, water hazards, tripping hazards etc. It is useful to have this extension if you are
responsible for an area of land or if you are changing the landscape in any way. The cover is limited to
negligence claims; it does not cover damage sustained to the land itself through weather, pollution,
landslip/collapse etc.
Upgrade Public Liability Indemnity limit from £5 million to £10 million
An indemnity limit is the maximum that would be paid out for a single incident. The standard is £5 million and
this is deemed adequate for most small groups. Occasionally a landowner or local authority will insist on an
indemnity limit of £10 million. You have the option here to increase it.
Total Public Liability and Personal Accident Premium
This should be the total of all the premiums you have selected above.
Fixed Insurance Scheme Administration charge
This is our charge in order to administer the TCV scheme. This is payable annually.
Community Network Membership fee
This is the compulsory fee to be members of the TCV Community Network. Only members can apply for
insurance but we allow the two to be applied for together. If you have paid for membership within the last 3
months then you can cross out this fee. The fee is payable annually. For more information about the
membership benefits please see our website: http://www.tcv.org.uk/community/join-community-network
Total Amount Payable to The Conservation Volunteers
As this suggests, it is a total of the premiums plus the fixed fees. If you are also applying for other policies, you
can add in those premiums and make one payment.
We can accept payment 4 different ways:
1) By cheque, payable to TCV, to Sedum House, Mallard Way, Doncaster, DN4 8DB
2) Direct payment into our bank account. Please email /post your application and request our bank details.
3) By debit/credit card over the phone. Please email /post your application and request a phone call from our
Customer Service team to take your card payment.
4) By Invoice. Invoices should be requested when a third party or local authority is paying on your behalf.
Please supply us with a Purchase Order number.
Declaration
Please enter your name, signature, position and the date. If you are completing the form online you should be
able to insert an electronic signature, otherwise we will accept it without.
Data Protection Statements
Please read these statements as there are options for you to opt-out of services.
Once your policy has been submitted, accepted and full payment has been received; your documents will be
issued. You can expect to receive a letter of confirmation, a policy schedule and a receipt. If this is your first
policy with TCV you will also receive a copy of the Policy Document and policy Summary which can also be
downloaded from the TCV website. http://courses.tcv.org.uk/shop/category?l=level1;lid=21
Cancellation
You are able to cancel the policy from inception and receive a full refund if written notification is received within
14 days. Cancellations received after 14 days will be charged for the time spent on cover and a refund of the
remaining premiums will be issued. The membership and admin fees are non-refundable.
Amendment fees
The policy can be amended at any time. Amendments may be subject to a charge of £10 to cover
administration costs. All policies must run concurrently with membership so amendments and new additions
will be calculated pro-rata.
FAQ’s
We have put together an insurance guide which provides more information about the policies we provide.
http://issuu.com/theconservationvolunteers/docs/communitynetworkguide