Harston Village Hall Trust

Cambridgeshire

Registered Charity no. 300397



     




















Conditions of Hire















 

Terms and Conditions of Hire



A copy of the terms can be downloaded here

1. All applications for the Hire of the main Hall and/or any other rooms must be made on our standard Booking Form and forwarded complete to the Hall Booking Secretary. The person who signs the application shall be considered to be the Hirer. Where an organisation is named that organisation shall also be considered the Hirer and shall be jointly and severally liable together with the person who signs the form. The Hirer of the Hall must be aged 18 years or over.

2. The Hirer shall not sublet the Hall or any part thereof or allow the premises to be used for any unlawful purpose and shall not use the premises for any purpose other than that described on the Booking Form.

3. There are additional booking terms that apply to Sales of Goods and it is the responsibility of the Hirer to request these from the Booking Secretary before booking such an event.

4. A deposit may be requested at the time of the application in which case no hire shall be booked until the deposit has been received. The balance must be paid before the Hall is used, arrangements will be made to provide access or a key will be given to the hirer which must be returned immediately after the hire.

5. In the event of a cancellation by a hirer the deposit monies shall be refunded on the following basis:

a. If cancelled prior to 4 weeks before the event all monies will be refunded

b. If cancelled within 4 weeks of the event, 50% of all deposit monies will be refunded. However if the Hall is re-booked for that hire period, then 100% of all deposit monies will be refunded.

6. A deposit shall be requested for any one-off hire to cover damage, loss and breakages of hall and equipment. Should the Hirer not comply with the terms and conditions of hire or the Hall not be left clean and tidy, equipment not be put away or the Management Committee incur expenditure or loss as a direct consequence of the hire then the deposit shall be retained at the discretion of the Management Committee. Should a deposit not be requested in advance, e.g. for regular users, the Management Committee reserves the right to make a charge in arrears.

7. The Hirer shall comply with all conditions and regulations made in respect of the premises by the Fire Authority, Local Authority, and the Local Magistrate's Court or otherwise. A fire-risk assessment for the known hazards has been carried out by the Village Hall Management Committee. The hirer should carry out their own risk assessment. The introduction of a new fire risk by the Hirer either as a source of ignition e.g. Lighting of Candles, or as new flammable materials e.g. solvents, paper hangings is not allowed unless agreed in writing, in advance by the Booking Secretary.

8. Unauthorised display of advertisements (billboards, notices, placards, signs etc) fixed in a public place is an offence under Section 224 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and can lead to prosecution by local councils in the Magistrates Court. Please be aware of this legislation when advertising your events to take place at the Hall. The hirer will be held solely responsible for any legal action taken against the Hall by the local council.

9. The Management Committee may refuse any application for hire of the Hall without stating a reason.

10. The Management Committee reserves the right to close the Hall, or parts there of, should essential repairs / maintenance prove necessary or other circumstances dictate that it is necessary to close. The hall is often required for use as a polling station. In all cases all monies paid shall be refunded but we will not be responsible for any consequential loss.

11. The right of entry to the Hall is reserved to the Management Committee and any other agent of the owner during the hire period.

12. The Management Committee or a Committee Member reserves the right to put a stop to any entertainment or meeting conducted.

13. The Management Committee shall not be responsible for any loss or damage to any hirer's property arising from the use of the Hall nor for any personal damage or injury which may be incurred by or be done or happen to any person or persons using the Hall arising from any cause whatsoever. The Management Committee shall not be responsible for any consequential loss to the hirer. The management Committee shall not be responsible for the external failure of utility suppliers, government restriction, unforeseen act of nature, or any other external reason that might render the Hall or part thereof unfit for the use it was hired. The Hirer shall indemnify the Management Committee against any claim which may arise out of the hiring or which may be made by a user of the Hall during the hire period in respect of any loss damage or injury.

14. The hire of the Hall does not entitle the hirer to use or enter the premises at any time other than the specific hours for which it is hired. The Hirer is restricted to using the rooms indicated in the Booking Form and may not without previous written permission set up any equipment on the paths and walkways surrounding the building. The car park is to be used for parking cars. An area has been set aside for smokers which is clearly identified. Use of the Hall will be restricted to the times for which it is booked, unless access is agreed with the Booking Secretary outside of these times. In the evenings all music has to finish by 23.00pm ( Monday - Saturday) and those attending need to be vacated from the hall and car park by 23.30pm on Monday to Saturday and 22.30pm on Sunday. Any small working parties to tidy up the hall need to be vacated by midnight.

15. The Hirer shall during the hire period be responsible for the supervision of the premises, its fabric and contents, their care, safety from damage however slight or change of any sort, and 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 and the emergency exits from the Hall. Children should only be allowed to help in the kitchen under supervision. Any Hirer finding any fault, damage or if any other situation is referred to them must inform the Booking Secretary as soon as possible whilst also taking any action to make matters safe or place a warning for other users.

16. Hirers should consider and make their own arrangements for adequate insurance cover for their event in respect of damage or loss of property or injury to persons arising from any Hall booking. The hall is covered by an insurance policy, a copy of the current certificate is displayed on the noticeboard.

17. The maximum permitted number of people using the Main Hall is 150 for Dancing and 180 for close seating, for the Large Committee Room close seating limit is 60.

18. Smoking is not permitted in any part of the Hall and the responsibility of enforcement is with the hirer.

19. Alcoholic drinks may be served free. The sale of alcoholic drinks will only be permitted where this is clear on the Booking Form and subsequently agreed by the Booking Secretary. The Hirer shall be responsible for obtaining any licence that may be needed for the sale or consumption of alcoholic drinks.

20. It is requested that where music is played the noise is kept to a reasonable level so that annoyance is not caused to residents in the vicinity of the Hall. No bands or groups are allowed and any amplified music equipment such as Discos MUST plug in to the dedicated power sockets at the back of the stage. There is a noise / sound limiter system operating in the Hall including a cut out sensor on the fire door. Hirers are requested to advise their music entertainment of this and discuss the impact of such a system on their event. The hall offers a bespoke audio system which hirers can use to input music from lap tops / mobile devices via Bluetooth or 3.5mm mini jack.. Microphone inputs are available as are XLR sockets for Disco equipment. Radio microphones are also available for hirers. All music must cease by 23.00pm (Monday - Saturday).and 22.00pm Sunday. On no account may the fire door by the stage be left open. It is the responsibility of the Hirer to comply with the law and byelaws in this respect with regard to decibel limits in residential areas.

21. The Hirer is requested to consider other Hirers using the Hall at the same time.

22. The Hirer shall be responsible for ensuring that two stewards are present at every public function attended by adult audiences. Where the audience consists of children under 16 years, at least two stewards are to be provided for every 100 children. Stewards shall be given instructions, by the Hirer, with regards the use of extinguishers and the methods of normal and emergency exits. In the event of an emergency, please call 999 to report and give the address as 20 High Street, Harston, CB22 7PX.

23. The Hirer shall ensure that any activities for children under eight years of age comply with the provisions of The Children Act of 1989 and that only fit and proper persons who have passed the appropriate Criminal Records Bureau checks have access to the children (checks may also apply where children over eight and vulnerable adults are taking part in activities). The Hirer shall provide the Village Hall committee with a copy of their Child Protection Policy on request.

24. The Hirer is responsible for ensuring that they or the relevant personnel have the necessary qualifications, licences and insurances for the activities taking place. You may be required to show documentary evidence.

25. The front and back doors of the Hall must not be locked whilst the Hall is in use for emergency exit purposes. No exits may be blocked, chairs or obstructions placed in corridors or fire appliances removed or tampered with.

No part of the fabric of the building or fixtures and fittings such as the curtains and staging may be moved however temporarily from their positions in the Hall.

No bouncy castles, slides or foam parties allowed. Written approval from the Booking Secretary is required for any other equipment proposed for use at the event.

26. No additional lights or extensions from the existing lights shall be used without the previous consent of the Management Committee.

27. No fixtures or fittings of any kind may be driven into any part of the Hall nor shall any placard or any other articles be fixed to it. Any form of event advertising outside the Hall but on land owned by the Hall e.g. banners may only be displayed with the agreement of the Booking Secretary. Normally banners may only be fixed to the entrance railings 2 days before an event and removed on completion of the event. Banners displayed in other agreed areas would normally only be allowed 3 weeks before an event.

28. The Hirer will be responsible for ensuring that all electrical equipment brought into the building is current PAT checked by a reliable electrical contractor and that a risk assessment has been done by the Hirer, otherwise the committee can remove it.

29. At the end of the hire period the Hirer shall clean any crockery used, leave the Hall and premises in a clean and orderly state, properly locked and secured. Any contents temporarily moved from their usual position should be properly replaced, including returning tables and chairs to original places. The deposit monies shall only be refunded if the Hall is left in a clean and tidy condition.

30. Property of the Hirer and the Hirer's agent must be removed from the Hall by 30 minutes after expiration of the Hire and the Management Committee reserve the right to charge for each hour or part thereof until same is removed. The Management Committee accept no responsibility for property left on the premises after hiring, even where property is left with permission of the Management Committee for which a storage charge may apply.

31. An accident book is provided in the Hall. It is the responsibility of the Hirer to complete this book with details of any accident or any injury to a user of the Hall in any way resulting during the hiring period.

32. The Trustees reserve the right to amend these Conditions of Hire at any time at their discretion.

Failure to adhere to all these rules will result in non-return of hirer's security deposit and an invoice for a further payment to cover additional costs

updated August 2019