Help prevent wildfires in Surrey – and win a picnic hamper

In June alone, firefighters responded to around 120 outdoor fires across Surrey – nearly a 200% increase compared to the same time last year.

One of these incidents was a wildfire at Valley Wood Place, near Chobham Common, which affected one hectare of land – roughly the size of two football pitches.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging residents to swap BBQs for picnics this season as part of its wildfire prevention campaign. 

To support this message, the service has launched a picnic competition throughout August, giving one Surrey resident the chance to win a luxury picnic hamper to enjoy. 

The wider campaign, running all summer, aims to highlight wildfire risks in open spaces and how simple actions can help keep Surrey prepared. Outdoor fires can start easily and spread quickly – and unfortunately, many are caused by BBQs that haven’t been properly extinguished. 

How to enter 

To be in with a chance of winning the prize, visit Surrey Fire and Rescue Service’s Facebook or Instagram channel and look for the pinned competition post. Entries close on 19 August 2025. The Terms and Conditions are below.  

Here’s further advice to help you have a safe summer:   

• Avoid burning garden waste or starting bonfires.   

• Dispose of cigarettes properly. Throwing cigarette ends on the ground or out of a car window can start a wildfire.   

• If you see a fire outdoors, don’t try to tackle it yourself. Leave the area and call 999.  

For more information on wildfires, please visit our webpage. 

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Competition Terms and Conditions  

Definitions  

• Council: Surrey County Council of Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Reigate, Surrey RH2 8EF (“The Council”) Surrey Fire and Rescue Service 
• Scheme: Be wildfire aware, pack a picnic. 
• Entrants: Surrey residents  
• Prize:  One picnic hamper worth up to £90 

General 

1. By entering the prize draw through commenting and liking our social media posts in relation to the competition, you’ll be in for a chance to win. The competition will be posted on the following channels: 

• Instagram 
• Facebook 

2. The competition is being run and organised by the SFRS comms team in the Council  

Eligibility to enter 

3. The competition is open to Surrey residents aged 18 and over 

4. There must only be one entry per participant  

5. The competition is free to enter

Conditions 

• No third-party entries or bulk entries will be accepted. The Council reserves the right to verify the eligibility of entrants and the Prize may be withheld until and unless the Council is satisfied with the verification. 
• Entries not complying with these terms and conditions will be invalid. 
• The competition will start on 6 August 2025 00:00 and run until August 19 2025 at 11:59pm.  
• The Prize is awarded conditionally upon acceptance and if a winner is unable to be contacted after 28 days or if any Prize is unclaimed or declined within a reasonable period, the Prize shall be deemed as unclaimed or unaccepted and a supplementary winner may be drawn at the Council’s discretion. 
• The winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries on August 20 2025. The Communications Team will then contact the Prize-winner via email to ask for an address to send the Prize to. 
• The Council will not be responsible for any inability of a Prize-winner to take up the specified Prize. 
• The Council reserves the right to provide a substitute Prize of similar value should the specified Prize become unavailable for reasons beyond its reasonable control. Cash or credit alternatives will not be offered. The Prize is not transferable. 
• In the event of fraud, abuse, or an error affecting the proper operation of the competition, including the allocation of more Prizes than are available, the Council reserves the right to end or suspend the competition; declare void the notification of winner; and re-allocate the available Prize by conducting a new competition. 
• If any provision of these terms and conditions is held invalid by any law, rule, order or regulation of any government, or by the final determination of any court of a competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect the enforceability of any other provisions not held to be invalid. 
• Incomplete entries and entries received after the competition closing date will be disqualified from the competition. 
• The Council’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into outside of this competition. 
• The Council reserves the right to suspend, cancel, postpone or amend the competition and/or review and revise these terms and conditions at any time. 

Data Protection 

• Entrants’ data will be collected, stored and processed for the purposes of administering and assessing competitions. The Council shall take all reasonable care to ensure that it complies with its obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. 
• In the event that the competition is withdrawn for any reason, the Entrant’s personal data will be permanently deleted at this point. 
• All Entrants’ data will be permanently deleted after the winner has claimed their Prize. 

Contact Information  

If you have any questions or concerns, please email surreycommsfrs@surreycc.gov.uk.  

 You can also view our Privacy notice: Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Communications Team Competitions – privacy notice – Surrey County Council