Running your PTA

From frying classic burgers to charring delicious seasonal veg, a barbecue is the taste of summer! However, safety and hygiene should be your top priority for any food-based fundraisers, especially when cooking over flames

Before getting started

Choose experienced volunteers – Only involve volunteers who are confident cooking with and managing barbecues.

Test your barbecue – Always check your barbecue is functioning safely, especially if it hasn’ t been used in a while.

Ensure food is handled safely – Raw meat and produce should be appropriately refrigerated at a safe temperature, and you must prevent cross-contamination between food items. The Food Standards Agency has produced comprehensive guidance to safely preparing barbecue food, which you can refer to: food. gov. uk / safety-hygiene / bbq-food-safety

Never leave the barbecue unattended.

Fire safety

• Set up your barbecue in an unenclosed outdoor space, on level ground and at a distance from trees, wooden fences or anything else flammable – consider siting your barbecue on a concrete school playground

• Any fuels, such as charcoal or propane gas, should be stored and handled with care

• Never use accelerants like petrol to start your barbecue

• Fire safety equipment should be kept nearby, such as an extinguisher, a bucket of water, sand and a fire blanket

Download our risk assessment template:

While cooking

• Avoid distractions – consider appointing one volunteer to cook food and another to take and manage payments

• Wear an apron and barbecue gloves and use longer utensils to help prevent burns

• Ensure meats are properly cooked to safe temperatures( a probe thermometer can help you check) and that vegetarian and vegan products do not come into contact with meats

• Children and pets should be kept a safe distance from the barbecue

• Barbecues can stay hot and give off harmful carbon monoxide fumes for hours after they go out, so take care when packing away after the event

If you still don’ t feel confident about running your own barbecue, there are catering companies you can hire to provide a barbecue at your event.

Want to tie your barbecue in with another summer event? Check out our guide to summer fundraisers on page 49. Illustrations: shutterstock. com / madebyDSN, Muhammad _ Zulfan, LandofLine

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