I arrange visits to gardens and houses for members of our local gardening club. The owners of some properties charge for these visits, others don’t. It has recently been suggested that we could be held liable for accidental damage to the properties or for injury to any member of the club who for instance tripped over a raised flagstone. Should we take out insurance?
Members clubs such as yours have no separate legal status and it would probably be very difficult to sue you. If a member was injured while visiting a property he or she would probably bring a claim against the owner, rather than the club; and if someone caused damage they would probably be held individually responsible. The owners of the houses are potentially more at risk than yourselves, especially if they charge an entrance fee.