1 SAFETY POLICY

1.1 Policy Statement

The organising committee of Sheffield Steam & Vintage Club Limited (SSVCL), and all its members, regard Health and Safety (H&S) as an important part of all their activities including the Annual Rally, and it is intended that all attendees comply as fully as is reasonably practical with the safety policy as detailed hereafter.

1.2 Health & Safety Policy

All members, visitors, exhibitors and contractors are to do all that is reasonably practical to prevent injury to themselves or others and to safeguard equipment and property.
The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, together with other supporting and subsequent legislation to be adhered to.
The National Traction Engine Trust (NTET) policy for the safe conduct of rallies and similar events is detailed in its code of practice. This code together with such documents as shall from time to time be published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are to be used for guidance of best practice.
The annual rally is to be approved by the NTET; and SSVCL undertakes to follow, as closely as possible, the latest edition of the Code of Practice and Safety Officer’s Report forms issued with the NTET approval.
The annual rally is organised by the Rally Committee of SSVCL, which consists of members appointed by the General Committee of the Company.
Current Officers & Committee Members details are available upon request.
Any person acting in a dangerous, offensive, or other-wise unsocial manner, or causing others to do so, or not maintaining their exhibit / equipment in a safe condition may be asked to leave the site and forfeit any attendance fees or other benefits.
The riding of bicycles (or electrically powered scooters) on site is prohibited at all times.
A Safety Officer’s decision on any matter concerning the Rally is final.

2 TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2.1 General

The basic terms and conditions are laid out on the respective section application form for attendance / entry to the Sheffield Steam & Vintage Rally – (the application forms). This additional information sheet is to be read together with such application form and treated as an addition / extension to the narrative on the original form(s).

2.2 Background

After the application forms have been printed, it is possible (at any time) for amendments, deletions or additions to the terms and conditions to be necessary due to circumstances and requirements changing arising from various sources; for example, to comply with any legislation / rulings / guidance covering Health and Safety, Security, Public Health and local government areas of involvement. It will not always be possible to advise individual attendees of any such changes dependant on when such changes are implemented.

By signing an application form, you agree to the terms and conditions extant at that time, and are deemed to accept any late changes to those terms and conditions which are necessary (as explained in the previous paragraph) for the greater good and the safety of attendees as a whole.

The receipt by Sheffield Steam & Vintage Club Limited (SSVCL) of a signed application form and our acceptance (evidenced by email confirmation and/or issue of a rally pass) creates a contract between us which is intended to be legally binding. The consideration on each part being the provision of services (or financial payment in some circumstances).

The Rally exists because we agree to work together. Without the exhibitors, traders and service providers there would be no rally; and by the same token, without us being prepared to fund and get the relevant licences, authorisations, permits and agreements there would be no rally either. Unfortunately, the burden of bureaucracy has become worse over the years (particularly since Covid) and that’s why we have much tighter guidelines to work within.

It is therefore important that you have read and understood all of the terms and conditions including this additional T&C sheet(s). It is not our intention to upset anyone as a result of us ensuring we comply with the rules, regulations and guidelines in force at the time of the rally; but the key point for us is that decisions have to be made in the context (of the security, and health and safety) of all attendees as a whole, not just any one individual.

Medical needs provisions and services are available.

It takes a year to prepare for the following year’s rally. That’s a lot of people’s time and effort given up freely. It’s a lot of work. To give one example; the current information pack sent to Rotherham MBC comprises nearly 130 pages of information. If we provided the full text of reference material, it would be nearer 500 pages.

We are a not-for-profit organisation. Our aim is to hopefully cover costs and leave us with enough money to fund the following years’ rally. Let’s be blunt. Good support from the paying public in 2023 and 2024 saved us from near extinction (following Covid). We operate against a background of costs increasing year on year, and more stringent regulation. Understanding the battle we face to put the rally on is important.

We have no paid employees. Everyone’s a volunteer. Without them we would find it virtually impossible to administer the event. Please respect and appreciate the time and effort they have given up to provide you with a good rally experience.

The List of points is not exhaustive, and may be added to or changed from time to time, as circumstances dictate.

Now let’s look at the additional points, clarifying or adding to the previously advised T&C’s .

2.3 Camping

The following section applies equally to public and exhibitor camping.

The available space is limited due to the level of demand for camping facilities and we endeavour to accommodate as many people as is considered safe within the guidelines ruling at the rally dates, and subject to the prevailing weather conditions.
It is generally accepted, by the majority of rallies, that a space allocation of 21 feet is adequate.
Accordingly, we ask that all attendees plan the siting of their vehicle and accommodation (whether caravan, tent or other) to fit within a space with a width of 21 feet.
Please contact us to discuss further if you know you cannot meet this requirement.

2.4 Rubbish / Litter

2.4.1 General

The site is owned by Anston Parish Council, from whom it is rented for the period from set-up to close down.
It is important that we maintain the goodwill of the council, by leaving the site clean and tidy. Failure to do so would jeopardise the likelihood of renting for the following year, and thus holding a rally.
Please ensure that you take your rubbish to the enclosed rubbish skips (at least 4 across the site) and leave your area tidy.
Don’t just leave it for someone else. We only have a few volunteers – who have enough to do normally.

2.4.2 Trade Waste

The above applies to traders / stallholders equally, but more importantly you should keep your stall area as clean and tidy for health and safety reasons.

All Trade waste MUST be disposed of in the skips provided and NOT the waste bins intended for public use. THIS CONDITION IS APPLICABLE BEFORE; DURING; AND AFTER THE SHOW
At close down, please leave your site clean and tidy.
Do not leave items you don’t want or can’t sell for someone else to clear away. Take it to the skips.
If a stall area is left untidy, (as above), we will use our siting plan to identify the pitch and that stallholder will be advised / banned from all future rallies.

2.5 Rally Personnel

Regardless of their role – from safety officer through to rally steward – each person is a volunteer who has given up their time to help both us and you to enjoy being at the rally.
They are there to help, do their best and do not deserve abuse and lack of respect.
Help them to help you.
In the rare occasion where there is some form of abuse of our helpers, we reserve the right to refuse admission, or if already on site to rescind your right to be there. In such case you will be asked to leave at the earliest practical time (in our opinion). We will use the appropriate services to affect such removal.

2.6 Fencing

Due to the requirement to make the site as secure and safe as practical, we have used heras-type fencing (or other similar effective methods) to maintain any significant breaks in the boundary of the site.
This is in place not just as a means of stopping people entering the site to avoid paying an entry fee, but primarily to restrict and deter persons from entering the site who are doing so to steal or cause damage / injury to property / persons on site.
This means anything ranging from potential petty theft through to terrorist action.
It is therefore imperative that these physical barriers remain intact and anyone noticing a breach or other issues should advise a steward or the security staff immediately so that appropriate action can be taken.
Anyone found to be tampering with or dismantling these barriers is increasing the potential risk to persons and property on the rally site.
We consider this to be a fundamental breach of trust and respect for all others on site.
Accordingly, anyone tampering with or causing others to tamper with such fencing will have their right to remain at the rally rescinded. They will be asked to leave site at the earliest practical time (in our opinion) and they will be banned from all future rallies. We will use the appropriate services to affect such removal.

2.7 Site Access

2.7.1 Exhibitor / Trader Admission to Site on Rally Days

Due to the need to make the site as secure and safe as practical, including to minimise the risk from moving vehicles to the public, there is a strict requirement to control traffic flow.
At the time of official opening to the public, ie. 10.00am on both the Saturday and Sunday, the exhibitor gate will be closed, with no further access allowed except for emergency vehicles.
You are advised to allow sufficient time for travelling etc and arrive early.
If you are still in the queue when the gate is closed, you are too late – you will not be admitted regardless of the excuse.
Documentation will be checked on arrival, before access to the site is allowed.
Any delay caused by missing or incorrect paperwork will delay you and the people behind you.

All exhibitors will be expected to remain on site until the close of the Rally at 5.00pm on the Sunday Afternoon to avoid the danger to both the public and exhibitors from mass movement of exhibits and their transport vehicles through the public on the rally field, or through the public and their vehicles on the roadways and in the car park areas.

2.8 Driving

2.8.1 Exhibits

The safety of the public, our exhibitors and drivers is paramount, and to ensure this we apply the following criteria to all vehicles including Steam engines; Tractors; Cars and Bikes:

Details of appropriate insurance cover are provided by each exhibitor / driver.
Young children driving any vehicle must always be under the supervision of a parent or guardian, or competent person.
Vehicles / exhibits can only be driven in designated areas at designated times by a competent person, and can only carry the number of people they were originally designed for unless a permanent fixture / alteration has been made to allow greater numbers.
All drivers and exhibitors must follow the instructions of safety officers, section secretaries and stewards at all times including when the public are not present.
A Safety Officer will decide if any individual satisfies the definition of ‘competent person’.
The general rules and interpretation are as follows; subject to relevant supervision;
An adult with a full licence or certificate of competency for a particular vehicle will be deemed to be competent.
Any other person not holding a full licence or certificate of competency for a particular vehicle will not be a competent person, and will be subject to the following restrictions;
Persons with a provisional licence or other evidence to prove that they are in the course of training to drive the particular class of vehicle or (registered) steam apprentices (in the case of steam engines) –
- Will only be allowed to drive in the main arena at designated times.
- Will only be allowed to drive in the ‘Active Display Area’ (ADA) under the supervision of a competent person at designated times. You must advise your section secretary of the details of the driver and competent person.
- Will be allowed to drive between the ADA, the arena or the exhibit’s base on the field but must be accompanied by a competent person and a rally steward / marshall.
The riding of bicycles (or electrically powered scooters) on site is prohibited at all times.

2.9 Children / Dependants

The event site is an active environment with significant hazards. During setup, breakdown, and public hours, numerous moving vehicles and heavy traction engines are operating. Large steam engines move slowly but cannot stop quickly. Conversely, official event and emergency vehicles may need to move at speed to respond to incidents.

Parents, guardians, and carers hold sole responsibility for the safety and supervision of their children and any dependents with special care needs at all times. You must ensure those in your care are constantly monitored, kept at a safe distance from moving machinery, and under strict control. The event organizers cannot replicate dedicated care; you must remain vigilant to ensure their safety.