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The stallholder form usually arrives in the book bag in late October. It asks for your stall name, your table size and a small pitch fee. Then comes a line that stops many parents. It reads: “All electrical items must be PAT tested.” If your craft stall glows with fairy lights or keeps mulled apple juice warm, that line is about you.
The good news is that the request is easy to meet with a little planning. If an organiser wants proof, PAT Testing Course offers a free PAT testing certificate template for setting out the results of a PAT testing visit clearly. This guide walks through why fairs ask, which items count and how to get everything ready before December.
Why Do Fair Organisers Ask Stallholders for PAT Testing?
A school or village Christmas fair packs hundreds of people into one hall for an afternoon. Many of them are under 10. Every stall adds cables, plugs and extension reels to a space that was built for assemblies and PE.
Organisers carry the responsibility for that space on the day. Their insurance often comes with conditions, and the school or venue may set its own rules. Asking stallholders for evidence of PAT testing is a simple way to show they have taken reasonable care.
The PTA charity Parentkind publishes a Christmas fair planning guide for PTAs. Its resources include a stallholder declaration form and a risk assessment template. A PAT testing request usually sits within that same planning process.
It helps to know one fact before you worry. There is no single legal format for a PAT testing certificate. The request comes from the fair’s own rules, not from a form you must file anywhere.
Which Items On a Craft Stall Count as Electrical?
PAT stands for portable appliance testing. It covers equipment that plugs into a mains socket. Look at your stall plan and list anything with a plug:
- Mains fairy lights or light-up signs: The strings you drape around the stall frame or table edge.
- Warmers and urns: A slow cooker for mulled drinks, a soup kettle or a hot water urn.
- Demonstration tools: A hot glue gun or a wax melt warmer used for live crafting.
- Extension reels and adaptors: These count too, and they often see the hardest use.
- Chargers: The plug-in charger for a card reader or a phone.
Battery-powered items, such as LED jar lights or wind-up toys, generally fall outside the request. Check the organiser’s wording, though, as some fairs ask about anything electrical.
If you make your decorations at home, like this haunted birdhouse craft, keep the light-up versions battery powered. That one choice can take an item off your test list.
What Should a PAT Testing Certificate Show?
A PAT testing certificate is a short written record of one testing session. It confirms which items were tested, on what date and by whom. It is different from the small pass stickers stuck on each plug.
A useful certificate includes:
- The name and qualification of the person who carried out the tests.
- The date or dates of testing.
- A list of each item, with a simple description and an ID number.
- The pass or fail result for every item.
- The make, model and calibration date of the PAT tester used.
An organiser rarely reads every line. They want to see a recent date, a named tester and a pass beside each item you plan to plug in. Save a photo of the certificate on your phone, and tuck a paper copy in your cash tin.
How Do You Get Your Stall Kit Tested Before December?
Start early, because local testers get busy as fair season builds. A small stall kit of five or six items takes very little time to test.
Follow these steps:
- Count every plug-in item you plan to bring, including spares.
- Check the organiser’s deadline for paperwork.
- Ask whether the fair has arranged a group testing session. Some PTAs book one tester for every stallholder on a single evening.
- If not, book a local tester or ask a friend who holds a PAT testing qualification.
- Keep the certificate with your stall box so it is ready next year.
Some parents who run regular stalls choose to train themselves. If selling crafts has grown into a side business, our guide to running a small business from home as a parent is worth a read. It sets out the wider costs to plan for.
What Can You Check On the Morning of the Fair?
A certificate shows that your kit passed on one date. Your own eyes cover the rest. Electrical Safety First sets out clear Christmas lights safety advice that suits a fair stall well.
Before you plug anything in, run through this quick check:
- Look for cracked plugs, scorch marks or loose wires.
- Never link two sets of fairy lights together.
- Choose extra-low voltage lights (usually 12 to 24 volts) where you can.
- For an outdoor stall, use lights rated for outdoor use and a 30mA RCD.
- Run cables behind the table, never across the walkway.
Small children reach for anything that twinkles. Keep plugs and transformers at the back, out of easy reach. Switch everything off when you pack away.
How Can You Keep Your Stall Kit Ready for Next Year?
Most stall kit lives in a loft or garage for 11 months of the year. How you store it decides whether it passes next time.
Pack lights back into their original boxes, wound loosely rather than knotted. Store them somewhere dry, away from damp sheds and hot boiler cupboards. Keep the leaflets in the same box.
Register new lights with the manufacturer when you buy them. That way you hear about a safety recall quickly. If a bulb fails, replace it with the same type and rating as the original.
Finally, keep one folder for the paperwork. Put this year’s certificate in it, along with the organiser’s form. Next October, the whole job starts from a known point instead of a hunt through drawers.
FAQ
Do Battery-Powered Fairy Lights Need PAT Testing?
Usually not. PAT testing covers equipment that plugs into a mains socket. Read the organiser’s form carefully, as a few fairs ask stallholders to list every electrical item.
How Long Does a PAT Testing Certificate Last?
There is no fixed expiry date in law. Each fair sets its own rule, and many look for a test within the past 12 months. Ask the organiser if you are unsure.
Can a Parent Test Their Own Stall Equipment?
What Happens If an Item Fails Its PAT Test?
Yes, if they are competent to do it. Many people complete a one-day PAT testing course and then test their own kit with a proper tester.
Do not bring it to the fair. Repair or replace it, then have the replacement tested. A failed extension reel is a common culprit, and a new one is cheap.