Hall Hire Information Pack

Thank you for your interest in hiring Cherhill Village Hall. We are proud of our Hall and these guidelines are designed to make your event a success and help us keep the Hall in good condition for future users. In hiring the Hall you are undertaking to follow these guidelines.

Safety

Safety is our number one priority. As our completed risk assessment could not cover every contingency we remind Hall users that they are responsible for their own safety. We insist that hirers agree not to facilitate or permit any activity which could jeopardise people's safety or pose a threat to the structure of the Hall, its contents and equipment, or its surroundings.

A major contribution to safety is to ensure that all equipment and appliances, including lights, are turned off and rendered safe before leaving the Hall.

Fire Procedures

As part of our safety policy we insist that hirers familiarise themselves with the Fire Safety Checklist for Hirers and the Fire Escape and Emergency Plan attached to these Guidelines. We also require you to ensure that all your attendees are briefed on the actions to take in the event of a fire, the location of the Fire Exits and the Fire Assembly Point in the car park.

Capacity of the Hall

The capacity of our Hall is 200 persons standing, 170 when used for dancing and 110 when using tables and chairs.

Bookings

View the calendar to check availability and use the Booking Form to make your enquiry.

All bookings are handled by our Bookings Clerk, who can also be reached at bookings@cherhillvillagehall.org or by ringing 01249-814979.

We cannot confirm a booking until a completed booking form and a deposit of £50 has been received by the Bookings Clerk: to avoid disappointment this should be at least 28 days before the event to prevent an alternative booking being accepted.

Early access for event preparation can be discussed with the Booking Clerk.

We are unable to accept bookings from anyone under 18 years of age and there are some events we are unable to host. Full details are available from the Bookings Clerk.

Cancellation

If you need to cancel please give as much notice as possible so that we can accommodate an alternative event. If your booking is cancelled within 28 days of the planned event we may need to charge a cancellation fee, in which case £12.50 of the deposit will be refunded for every 7 days notice of cancellation.

Cleaning

We expect our hirers to leave the Hall as they would wish to find it – clean and tidy, with all furniture, crockery and other equipment in their proper place. There is an option on the booking form to hire a cleaner after your event but if this option is not exercised, and further cleaning is required after your event, £20 will be added to your bill to cover the cost of cleaning.

We aim to recycle as much as possible and all refuse should be bagged, removed from the Hall and placed in the bins at the top of the ramp.

Damage

We cannot accept liability for any loss or injury suffered by any person using the premises but you will be required to accept the cost of rectifying any damage caused to the Hall or its equipment during your event. To avoid damage we don't permit any equipment, notices or other items to be attached to the structure of the Hall.

Noise and Parking

We are in a residential area and aim to be a good neighbour so considerate parking and controlling noise are important to us. In particular arrival and departure can be noisy times if care is not taken,

and during events we expect noise levels to be kept to a reasonable level. Parking is limited and we

rely on our users to park with consideration for our neighbours and to avoid obstructing the road.

The Hall is licensed for performance, music and dancing at the following times:

Monday to Saturday: 14.00 - Midnight

Sunday: 14.00 - 22.30

Alcohol

If you plan to sell alcohol at your event you will need to apply for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) by visiting https://tinyurl.com/y887dst2 and following the links. As we are limited in the number of TENs permitted in the Hall each year the Bookings Clerk needs to know that you plan to apply and also when a TEN is approved.

Keys

Opening the Hall for your event, and securing it afterwards, can be discussed with the Booking Clerk when you confirm your booking. If, for a recurring event, you retain a key to the Hall we will need a £50 deposit which will be repayable once the key is returned.

Thank you for reading these guidelines and we hope your event is a great success. If you discover a fault please report it by using our Fault Report Form. We are also very interested in your feedback about our Hall which you can also send to us using our the Feedback Form

Before admission of the public or your invited guests:

1. Appoint a suitable person to be responsible for fire safety and ensure they are familiar with this checklist and the fire and emergency plan on the notice board in the lobby.

2. All fire exit doors are unlocked and the push-bar mechanism tested and in good working order.

3. Escape routes are free from obstruction and available for use.

4. Internal fire doors are closed and not wedged or propped open.

5. Firefighting equipment is in place and unobstructed.

6. Manual fire alarm is operable.

7. There is no obvious fire hazard in, or near, the building.

8. Appropriate assistance will be available for any attendees with disabilities. At start of function:

9. Notify all those present the actions to take in the event of a fire, the location of the Fire Exits and the Fire Assembly Point in the car park. End of function

10. Search for smouldering fires or cigarettes left burning around the exterior of the building.

11. Check that the cooker is turned off.

12. Check that all electrical appliances (except the refrigerators) are turned off and unplugged.

13. Turn out all lights.

14. Close all internal doors.

15. Secure all outside doors and windows.

Please CLICK HERE to download our Regular User Agreement Form. Please send a completed copy of this form to our booking clerk at bookings@cherhillvillagehall.org

If you are in any doubt as to the meaning of any of the Conditions, you must seek clarification from us without delay.

1. Age

You, not being a person under 18 years of age, hereby accept responsibility for being in charge of and on the premises at all times when the public are present and for ensuring that all Standard Conditions under this Agreement relating to management and supervision of the premises are met.

2. Supervision

During the period of the hiring, you are responsible for:

(i) supervision of the premises, the fabric and the contents;

(ii) care of the premises, safety from damage however slight or change of any sort; and

(iii) the behaviour of all persons using the premises whatever their capacity, including proper supervision of car parking arrangements so as to avoid obstruction of the highway.

As directed by us, you must make good or pay for all damage (including accidental damage) to the premises or to the fixtures, fittings or contents and for loss of contents.

3. Use of premises

You must not use the premises (including the car park) for any purpose other than that described in the Agreement and must not sub-hire or use the premises or allow the premises to be used for any unlawful or unsuitable purpose or in any unlawful way nor do anything or bring on to the premises anything which might endanger the premises or render invalid any insurance policies covering the premises nor allow the consumption of alcohol without our written permission.

4. Insurance and indemnity

(i) You are liable for:

• costs arising from accidental and malicious loss or damage and for loss or damage arising out of your negligence to any part of the premises including its curtilage or its contents

• costs arising from accidental and malicious loss or damage and for loss or damage arising out of your negligence done to our WiFi service

• all claims, losses, damages and costs made against or incurred by us, our employees, volunteers, agents or invitees in respect of damage or loss of property or injury to persons arising as a result of your use of the premises (including the storage of equipment) and your use of our WiFi service and

• all claims, losses, damages and costs made against or incurred by us as a result of any nuisance caused to a third party as a result of your use of the premises and/or the use of our WiFi service, and subject to sub-clause (ii), you must indemnify us against such liabilities.

(ii) We will take out adequate insurance to insure the liabilities described in sub-clause (i) above We will claim on our insurance for any liability you incur but you must indemnify us against:

a) any insurance excess incurred and

b) the difference between the amount of the liability and the monies we receive under the insurance policy.

We are insured against any claims arising out of our own negligence.

5. Gaming, betting and lotteries

You must ensure that nothing is done on or in relation to the premises in contravention of the law relating to gaming, betting and lotteries.

6. Music Copyright licensing

We confirm that we hold relevant licences under Performing Right Society (PRS).

7. Music

You must have our written permission for performance of live music and the playing of recorded music under the Deregulation Act 2015. This Agreement confers that permission.

8. Film

You must restrict children from viewing age-restricted films classified according to the recommendations of the British Board of Film Classification. You must ensure that you have the appropriate copyright licences for film. This Agreement confers the required permission on you. (The Deregulation Act 2015 requires you to have our written permission to show a film).

9. Safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk

You must ensure that any activities for children, young people and adults at risk are only provided by fit and proper persons in accordance with the Children Act 1989 and 2004, the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and any subsequent legislation. When requested, you must provide us with a copy of your Safeguarding Policy and evidence that you have carried out relevant checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). All reasonable steps must be taken to prevent harm, and to respond appropriately when harm does occur. Relevant concerns must be reported.

10. Public safety compliance

You must comply with all conditions and regulations made in respect of the premises by the Local Authority, the Licensing Authority, and our fire risk assessment or otherwise, particularly in connection with any event which constitutes regulated entertainment, at which alcohol is sold or provided or which is attended by children. You must also comply with our health and safety policy.

You must call the Fire Service to any outbreak of fire, however slight, and give details to any Village Hall trustee.

(i) You acknowledge that you have familiarised yourself with the following matters:

• The action to be taken in event of fire. This includes calling the Fire Brigade and evacuating the hall.

• The location and use of fire equipment.

• Escape routes and the need to keep them clear.

• Method of operation of escape door fastenings.

• Appreciation of the importance of any fire doors and of closing all fire doors at the time of a fire.

• Location of the first aid box.

(ii) In advance of any activity whether regulated entertainment or not you must check the following items:

• That all fire exits are unlocked and panic bolts are in good working order.

• That all escape routes are free of obstruction and can be safely used for instant free public exit.

• That exit signs are illuminated.

• That there are no fire-hazards on the premises.

• That emergency lighting supply illuminating all exit signs and routes are turned on during the whole of the time the premises are occupied (if not operated by an automatic mains failure switching device).

11. Noise

You must ensure that the minimum of noise is made on arrival and departure, particularly late at night and early in the morning. You must, if using sound amplification equipment, make use of any noise limitation device provided at the premises and comply with any other licensing condition for the premises.

12. Drunk and disorderly behaviour and supply of illegal drugs

You must ensure that in order to avoid disturbing neighbours of the hall and avoid violent or criminal behaviour:

(i) no one attending the event consumes excessive amounts of alcohol

(ii) no illegal drugs are brought onto the premises.

Drunk and disorderly behaviour is not permitted either on the premises or in its immediate vicinity. We will ask any person suspected of being drunk, under the influence of drugs or who is behaving in a violent or disorderly way to leave the premises in accordance with the Licensing Act 2003.

13. Food, health and hygiene

You must, if preparing, serving or selling food, observe all relevant food health and hygiene legislation and regulations. In particular dairy products, vegetables and meat on the premises must be refrigerated and stored in compliance with the Food Temperature Regulations. The premises areprovided with a refrigerator and thermometer.

14. Electrical appliance safety

You must ensure that any electrical appliances brought by you to the premises and used there are safe, in good working order, and used in a safe manner in accordance with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. Where a residual circuit breaker is provided you must make use of it in the interests of public safety.

15. Stored equipment

We accept no responsibility for any stored equipment or other property brought on to or left at the premises, and all liability for loss or damage is hereby excluded. All equipment and other property (other than stored equipment) must be removed at the end of each hiring or we may charge fees each day or part of a day at the hire fee per hiring until the same is removed.

We may, in our discretion, dispose of any items referred to below by sale or otherwise on such terms and conditions as we think fit, and charge you any costs we incur in storing and selling or otherwise disposing of the same, in any of the following circumstances:

(i) your failure either to pay any charges in respect of stored equipment due and payable or to remove the same within seven days after the agreed storage period has ended

(ii) your failure to dispose of any property brought on to the premises for the purposes of the hiring.

16. Smoking

You must comply with the prohibition of smoking in public places provisions of the Health Act 2006 and regulations made thereunder. We will ask any person who breaches this provision to leave the premises. You must ensure that anyone wishing to smoke does so outside and disposes of cigarette ends, matches etc. in a tidy and responsible manner, so as not to cause a fire or litter.

17. Accidents and dangerous occurrences

You must report to us as soon as possible any failure of our equipment or equipment brought in by you. You must report all accidents involving injury to the public to us as soon as possible and complete the relevant section in our accident book.

18. Explosives and flammable substances

You must ensure that:

(i) Highly flammable substances are not brought into, or used in any part of the premises.

(ii) No internal decorations of a combustible nature (e.g. polystyrene, cotton wool) are erected without our consent.

19. Heating

You must ensure that no unauthorised heating appliances are used on the premises when open to the public without our consent. You must not use portable liquefied propane gas (LPG) heating appliances.

20. Animals

You must ensure that Guide dogs, Hearing dogs and assistance dog owners are allowed on the premises.

21. Sale of goods

You must, if selling goods on the premises, comply with Fair Trading Laws and any code of practice used in connection with such sales. In particular, you must ensure that the total prices of all goods and services are prominently displayed, as must be the organiser’s name and address and that any discounts offered are based only on Manufacturers’ Recommended Retail Prices.

22. WiFi Services

When using the WiFi service you agree at all times to be bound by the following provisions:

(i) not to use the WiFi service for any for the following purposes:

a) disseminating any unlawful, harassing, libellous, abusive, threatening, harmful, vulgar, obscene or otherwise objectionable material or otherwise breaching any laws;

b) transmitting material that constitutes a criminal offence or encourages conduct that constitutes a criminal offence, results in civil liability or otherwise breaches any applicable laws, regulations or code of practice;

c) interfering with any other persons use or enjoyment of the WiFi service; or

d) making, transmitting or storing electronic copies of material protected by copyright without permission of the owner;

23. Termination of the WiFi service

We have the right to suspend or terminate our WiFi service immediately in the event that there is any breach of any of the provisions of these Standard Conditions including without limitation:

(i) if you use any equipment which is defective or illegal;

(ii) if you cause any technical or other problems to our WiFi service;

(iii) if, in our opinion, you are involved in fraudulent or unauthorised use of our WiFi service;

(iv) if you resell access to our WiFi service; or

(v) if you use our WiFi service in contravention of the terms of these Standard Conditions.

24. Availability of WiFi Services

(i) Although we aim to offer the best WiFi service possible, we make no promise that the WiFi service will meet your requirements. We cannot guarantee that our WiFi service will be fault-free or accessible at all times.

(ii) It is your responsibility to ensure that any WiFi enabled device used by you is compatible with our WiFi service and is switched on. The availability and performance of our WiFi service is subject to all memory, storage and any other limitations in your device. Our WiFi service is only available to your device when it is within the operating range of the main hall.

(iii) We are not responsible for data, messages, or pages that you may lose or that become misdirected because of the interruptions or performance issues with our WiFi service or wireless communications networks generally. We may impose usage, or service limits, suspend service, or block certain kinds of usage in our sole discretion, to protect other users of our WiFi service. Network speed is no indication of the speed at which your WiFi enabled device or our WiFi service sends or receives data. Actual network speed will vary based on configuration, compression and network congestion.

25. Privacy and Data Protection

(i) We may collect and store personal data through your use of our WiFi service.

(ii) We may process all information about you which is provided in relation to our WiFi service in accordance with your legal rights under the Data Protection 1998 and solely for the purposes of offering the WiFi service.

(iii) By using our WiFi service, you agree to the terms of this clause 26. If you would like more information or object to anything in these conditions, you should speak to a Village Hall trustee.

(iv) When using the WiFi service the Hirer agrees at all times to be bound by the following provisions:

a) not to use the WiFi service for any for the following purposes:

i. disseminating any unlawful, harassing, libellous, abusive, threatening, harmful, vulgar, obscene or otherwise objectionable material or otherwise breaching any laws;

ii. transmitting material that constitutes a criminal offence or encourages conduct that constitutes a criminal offence, results in civil liability or otherwise breaches any applicable laws, regulations or code of practice;

iii. interfering with any other persons use or enjoyment of the WiFi service; and

iv. making, transmitting or storing electronic copies of material protected by copyright without permission of the owner

b) to keep any username, password, or any other information which forms part of the WiFi service security procedure confidential and not to disclose it to any third party.

26. Cancellation

If you wish to cancel the booking before the date of the event and we are unable to conclude a replacement booking, we may, in our complete discretion, return the deposit or require payment of the hire fee.

We reserve the right to cancel this Agreement by giving you written notice in the event of:

(i) the premises being required for use as a Polling Station for a Parliamentary or Local Government election or by-election;

(ii) our reasonably considering that (a) such hiring will lead to a breach of licensing conditions, if applicable, or other legal or statutory requirements, or (b) unlawful or unsuitable activities will take place at the premises as a result of this hiring;

(iii) the premises becoming unfit for your intended use;

(iv) an emergency requiring use of the premises as a shelter for the victims of flooding, snowstorm, fire, explosion or those at risk of these or similar disasters.

In any such case you will be entitled to a refund of any deposit already paid, but we will not be liable to you for any resulting direct or indirect loss or damages whatsoever.

27. End of hire

You are responsible for leaving the premises and surrounding area in a clean and tidy condition, properly locked and secured unless directed otherwise and any contents temporarily removed from their usual positions properly replaced, otherwise we may make an additional charge.

28. No alterations

You must not make any alterations or additions to the premises nor install or attach any fixtures or placards, decorations or other articles in any way to any part of the premises without our prior written approval. In our discretion, any alteration, fixture or fitting or attachment which we have approved may remain in the premises at the end of the hiring. Such items will become our property unless you remove them and you must make good to our satisfaction any damage you cause to the premises by such removal.

29. No rights

This Agreement constitutes permission only to use the premises and confers no tenancy or other right of occupation on you.