Throughout these terms and conditions:-

• the hall called Wootton Memorial Hall will be referred to as 'the Hall'. 

• 'we', 'our' and 'us' mean and include the Hall’s charity trustees, council and temporary volunteers.

• the Hirer, which means an individual or, where the hirer is an organisation, the authorised representative, may be referred to as “you” or “your” and is deemed to include the members of your management committee (if appropriate), your employees, volunteers and agents or similar. 

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Age Restriction

The Hirer must be over the age of 25 and accept responsibility for being in charge of the event, be on the premises at all times during the Event and ensuring that these Terms and Conditions are adhered to.

Unfortunately, due to problems we have had in the past, parties, especially birthday parties, will not be accepted where the age group is between 13 and 24 years old. 

 

Supervision & Responsibilities

The Hirer will, during the period of the hire, be responsible for the supervision of the premises, the fabric and contents, their care, safety from damage however slight, and the behaviour of all persons using the premises, whatever their capacity, including proper supervision of car-parking arrangements in order to avoid obstruction of the highways.

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Use of the Hall 
The Hirer shall not use the premises for any purpose other than agreed with the Hall Council, and shall not sub-hire, or use the premises or allow the premises to be used for any unlawful purpose or in any unlawful way, nor do anything or bring onto the premises anything which may endanger the Hall, or render invalid any of the Hall’s insurance policies. The consumption of alcohol is not allowed other than by special permission of the Hall Council and that permission must be sought at the time of Booking.
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Hall Floor

The Hall floor is one of our most valuable assets, and we insist that all users of the Hall adhere to the following rules.

Shoes with black rubber soles, especially when new or worn, are the most common culprit for leaving black skid marks on wooden floors. Stiletto heels and hard-soled shoes can also cause scuffs and dents. 

We would appreciate you and anyone attending to avoid wearing any of the following:-

• Rubber Soles:   Rubber, particularly black rubber, is prone to leaving marks when it scrapes against hard surfaces like wood.

• Stiletto Heels:      The pointed heel of high-heeled shoes can concentrate force on a small area, making it easier to dent or scuff the floor.

• Hard Soles:      Shoes with hard soles, like some dress shoes or work boots, can also scrape and leave marks.

Please make this known in advance to anyone attending .

The other problem we have been having is sand left on the floor. Whether this is sand dancing (yes, there is such a thing!) or from play sand with youngsters, it must be a No-No. It damages the floor for all other types of dance.

Sand is NOT allowed at any time.

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Smoking or Vaping 

Smoking and Vaping are NOT allowed anywhere within the Hall grounds, i.e. inside the boundary fence including the Hall itself.  If smoking outside of the boundary fence, we would ask that smokers dispose of their cigarette ends, matches etc. in a tidy and responsible manner away from the Hall grounds, so as not to cause a fire. Finally, we would ask vapers to take any finished disposable vapes away with them and dispose of them responsibly, complying with the disposal instructions found here

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Alcohol

The Hall does not have a premises licence, but if alcohol is to be consumed at your event, it is essential to understand the Licensing Rules that need to be adhered to. Therefore, you must read the rules that apply by visiting this page here

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Animals 

The Hirer shall ensure that no dogs except guide dogs, hearing dogs and assistance dogs are brought into the Hall. No other animals (including birds) are to be brought into the Hall.

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Glitter

Glitter is very difficult to totally remove from the floor, tables and other surfaces, so we would appreciate that its use is avoided if at all possible. If, however, you do bring glitter, you MUST be prepared to  completely remove every trace.

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Music Licensing 

The Hall already has a PPL and PRS licence for music which covers any hirers for performance and playing of music until 11pm latest.

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Gaming, Betting and Lotteries 

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

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Electrical Safety 

The Hirer shall ensure that any electrical appliances brought by them to the premises and used there shall be certified as being safe and in good working order and used in a safe manner.
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Indemnity 

The Hirer shall indemnify the committee for the cost of repair or replacement due to any damage done to any part of the property (including the courtyard, any of the buildings or items within the boundary and the boundary fence and parts thereof) or the contents of the buildings, furniture, fittings and equipment which may occur during the period of the hiring, or as a consequence of the hiring.

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Payment

• A deposit of 50% of the total hire charge must be paid once your Booking Request has been accepted.

• The balance must be paid at least 7 days prior the event.

• Further, to cover any additional costs incurred (damage to property, additional cleaning costs, removal of rubbish, etc.) a Refundable Security Deposit of £100 is required at the same time as the balance is paid,

• The Deposit, Balance and Security Deposit must be paid by Bank Transfer, details on the Booking Acceptance that you will receive from us.    

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Cancellation

If the Hirer wishes to cancel the booking, please see our cancellation rules here

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​Opening

There will be at least one member of the Hall Committee in attendance to open the premises before the event. At this time, the member will also make you aware of the various facilities and rules that apply to their use, with the use of a Opening form that the Hirer or a designated guest is required to go through with the committee member with the form. You will also be given a Clearing up and Cleaning sheet, which you should follow at the end of your event. 

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On Arrival & Departure

The Hirer shall ensure that the minimum of noise is made on arrival and especially departure to/from the Hall. Any event must finish at the agreed time, and must NOT, in any circumstances, continue beyond 11pm, eg music, eating and drinking must finish by that time. The Hirer must then ask the attendees to depart as quickly as possible. The Hirer, shall at the end of the hiring period, be responsible for leaving the premises and surrounds in a clean and tidy condition as per instructions given on arrival.

 

During the Event

For everyone's safety, the floors must be kept dry. Any liquid on the floor must be mopped up immediately. 

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- Heating

We have a new heating system with a Hive thermostat. There is a heating schedule in place that members of the committee control via the Hive app, and they schedule the heating times. You may over-ride that within limits, and there are instructions below the thermostat and how to do that. DO NOT, in any circumstances change the mode from Schedule.

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- Safeguarding children, young people, and adults at risk

The welfare of children, young people and adults at risk is paramount. The Hirer 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 current law and any subsequent legislation.

If the Hirer is an individual not linked to any organisation:-

• For children under 11 or any adults at risk present at the event, there must be a family member (parent, grand-parent or carer) for each separate family group and they must always be supervised.

• For older children (12 – 18), the Hirer must ensure there will be enough trusted adults present to ensure the behaviour of the children does not get too boisterous and that any trouble that kicks off is quickly dealt with. There should be no inappropriate entertainment.

• For adults at risk, a parent, guardian or carer must be present.

• All reasonable steps must be taken to prevent harm, and to respond appropriately when harm does occur. Relevant concerns must be reported. Please see our signage posted on the Hall’s noticeboard.

If an organisation is hiring the Hall for a children’s activity or one that includes adults at risk, 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).

 

- Accidents

Should there be any small accidents, there is a First Aid box on the back wall behind the Bar. Please record the accident in the Accident Book which you will find in the First Aid box. Should it be a major accident that needs outside help, please ring 101 or 999, whichever is relevant. You MUST report this major accident to the Secretary here leaving an account of what has happened, the seriousness, the injured person's name and any other relevant facts. Then record the accident in the Accident Book which is in the First Aid box.

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- Other dangerous incidents
You must report to us as soon as possible any incident, such as any failure of our equipment or equipment brought in by you, electrical failure, or any other incident which has caused a major problem. You MUST report all such incidents to us here as soon as possible, explaining what has happened and what action you have taken. Then complete a report in our Accident Book, which is in the First Aid box. 

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Closing

You are expected to leave the Hall as you found it, with the tables and chairs stacked away as shown on the photos around the walls. You will have been given a Clearing up and Cleaning sheet to help with this.

You must not use any chemicals for washing up or cleaning other than washing-up liquid. 

There will be at least one member of the Hall Committee in attendance to check the state of the Hall at the finish of your event, check whether there is any reason to retain the security deposit and be responsible for securing the premises once everyone has departed. 
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Unforeseen Situations

In the event of the Hall, or any any of its facilities being unavailable or unfit for the use for which it has been hired, the committee shall not be liable to the Hirer for any losses incurred by the Hirer.
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Capacity

The Hirer shall ensure that the number of persons present in the Hall at any one time shall not exceed the maximum capacity, currently defined as one hundred (100).
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Explosives and flammable substances
You must not bring or use any highly flammable substances in any part of the premises, and must not erect any internal decorations of a combustible nature (e.g. polystyrene, cotton wool) without our consent.
 

Unauthorised 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 at any time.