Permission to run a bootcamp or fitness class in a park

The park examples are from England. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, ask the council that manages the park. The data protection, copyright and consumer rules apply across the UK.

Permission to run sessions in a park

The park manager decides whether you can run paid sessions on its land. That is usually the council. In London's Royal Parks it is the Royal Parks charity. A parish or town council, a trust or a private owner may manage the park instead. There is no national scheme, so fees, conditions and paperwork differ from park to park.

Running paid sessions without permission can breach the park's byelaws. In the Royal Parks, the Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997 require written permission to carry on any trade or business. Apply before you advertise, and do not promote a class until you have written approval.

Insurance, qualifications and checks

No law makes public liability insurance compulsory for a self-employed trainer, and no law requires a fitness qualification. Park managers set both as permit conditions and also ask for a risk assessment.

If you take on staff to help run classes, employers' liability insurance applies to you. Check whether each assistant is an employee or genuinely self-employed, because the duty covers employees.

Client health information

A health questionnaire collects data about your client's health, which is special category data under UK GDPR. No law requires you to use one. If you do, you need a lawful basis for the data and a separate condition for processing health data. For most trainers the fitting condition is explicit consent, given for a stated purpose.

Ask only for the health information you need to plan safe sessions. Use the ICO fee checker to see whether you must pay the data protection fee.

If you play music in sessions

The park manager decides whether you can play music at all, and a PPL PRS licence does not override that. Check the park's rules before you build music into a class.

Contracts with clients

Consumer law applies as soon as you sell to individuals. A client who signs up in person in the park makes an off-premises contract, so the cancellation rules apply to that sale.

Where to get help

Ask the park manager's parks or events team for permission. In London, apply to the Royal Parks charity. Ask PPL PRS about music licences, the ICO about client data and your insurer about cover.