Bathford Parish Hall - Conditions of Hire

(Registered Charity No: 246807)

Bathford Parish Hall is a community asset. Please treat it with respect and make sure you leave it secure and tidy at the end of your hire. The hirer is responsible for the removal of all belongings at the end of the hire period. It is a smoke-free building and the hirer must ensure this is observed. The hall is in a residential area so please respect our neighbours, particularly when leaving late at night and when parking.

Hall payment and Cancellation policy:

Payment can be made by BACS: Bathford Parish Hall, Nat West sort code 60-02-05, Account number 23730447 giving the date of hire as a reference. Please also see our cancellation policy below.

Cancellation policy:

Cancellation 4 weeks or more before the event no charge will be incurred - a full refund.
Cancellation between 4 and 1 week before the event - 50% of the room hire charge will be incurred and the rest refunded.
Cancellation less than a week before the event - the full room hire charge will be incurred - nothing refunded.

Exclusive Use:

If your planned event is likely to be noisy for other users to comfortably use the other rooms then we require that you book exclusive use of the hall. In this case you can use the main hall, the small meeting room, the kitchen and the bar area.

Main Hall:

The maximum capacity of the main hall will vary according to the activity booked. At no time should standing capacity (inc. children and support staff) exceed 120 people. Seated quiz/cabaret type activity must not exceed 80 max. (inc. children and support staff) - at all times sufficient space must be left to enable users to move easily around tables and a corridor of 1m wide should be left from the rear of the hall to the single exit doors. Hiring of the main hall includes the use of the kitchen and the bar (if required). It does not permit use of, or access to, the meeting room.

Meeting Room

The maximum standing capacity of the meeting room is 30 people (including children) - the max. capacity will be adjusted for quiz/cabaret type activity. Hire of the meeting room does not include use of the main hall or kitchen. However, if the main hall is not in use hirers of the meeting room can use the kitchen provided this is agreed in advance with the Booking Secretary. If the main hall is in use the Booking Secretary may be able to arrange for crockery and kettles to be made available in the meeting room, if required.

All hires are at the discretion of the Management Committee. The Management Committee cannot be held responsible for any lack of availability of the hall which arises from circumstances outside its control. The maximum capacity of the Hall is as indicated in these terms and conditions and must at all times be respected. The Parish Hall Management Committee will not take responsibility for any event where the hirer has ignored these numbers. Items should not be left on the premises at the end of a hire period. The Parish Hall Management Committee will not take any responsibility for items left and will take appropriate action to dispose of items in line with the in house lost/found procedure.

Booking and planning your event

The booking is not confirmed until you have received a confirmation email from the Booking Secretary and full payment must be made in advance of the booking. Your booked time must include the time needed to set up and to clear up after your event. If you begin setting up unreasonably early you may be asked to pay for this extra time in your booking. You also need to remember that your booking may be very close in time to other bookings, and that the cleaner may have scheduled her work to end a little before your event begins: please only use the hall for the time you have booked it.

Hirers must apply to BANES for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) if one is required. You must advise the Booking Secretary if a TEN is required as only 12 may be issued for the hall in any year. A TEN is only required if alcohol is to be sold at the bar or alcohol is included in the price of a ticket for an event. Organisers/hirers of exercise classes, social dance classes and events with a ticket price over £20 are responsible to ensure they have met the requirements of the Performing Rights Society. On the day of your event All hires must be adequately supervised by a responsible person over 21 years of age, who must be present throughout the event. For children's parties, two responsible people over 21 years of age must be in the hall at all times.

Bouncy castles, ball ponds and skates are not permitted.

No alterations of any kind are to be carried out to the hall. Nothing should be attached to the walls or painted surfaces e.g. posters / pictures etc. Ask the booking secretary about displaying party decorations in the hall. Please take extra care with the wooden floor - do not use anti slip products or drag tables and chairs. Please return all furniture that you have moved back to where you found it. Please do not use glitter or other decorative materials that can’t be cleared up easily. If your guests have been chalking on the internal/external walls or external paving slabs please wash these off after your event has ended. We may have to charge for extra cleaning if this is not done. Likewise, extra cleaning charges may be levied if rooms in the Hall are left in a state unfit for use by the next user. (For example, if the kitchen was left inadequately cleaned after an event that involved catering or a bar.)

Music must finish by 11.30 pm (Sundays 10.30 pm). The exception to this is New Year's Eve when the music must finish by 12.30 am. Please keep music at a level that will not be a nuisance or disturb local residents. The responsible person shall read the fire notice displayed on the noticeboard and make themselves aware of the location of fire safety equipment and the fire exits. The responsible person shall point these out to the people using the hall. All doors must be unbolted, unbarred and kept clear for the duration of hire.

There are fire doors at the front of the main hall and another fire exit in the meeting room. Please make sure these doors are not obstructed. The Fire Brigade must be summoned to any outbreak of fire, however slight. There is a fire blanket in the kitchen and a total of five fire extinguishers (one in the Kitchen, two in the Meeting room adjacent to the Fire exit and two in the Main Hall) any electrical equipment brought into the hall is the responsibility of the hirer and should be PAT tested to ensure safe use.

A first aid box is provided in the kitchen. Please report any items you have used to the booking secretary, so they can be replaced. There is also an accident book which must be filled in in the case of any accident which occurs on the premises during the period of hire. This is kept with the first aid box.

At the end of your hire. The hall should be tidied after use. Tables and chairs must be returned to their normal storage places. Remember that other users may be coming in straight after you. Cleaning equipment is available in the cupboard adjacent to the piano and in the kitchen. It is the responsibility of the hirer to remove all rubbish and recycling from the hall and the yard at the end of the hire. The cooker and water heater must be switched off.

Hall Heating – Heaters should be operated in accordance with instructions which are displayed above each control unit above each heater.

All doors and windows must be secured. Please check the windows in the toilets, kitchen and kitchen door (incl. bar if used) and external fire doors.

The hirer is responsible for reporting any damage to the hall or to furniture or equipment to the Booking Secretary.

The hirer will be required to pay all costs for repair or replacement of any items damaged or missing or any exceptional cleaning costs arising from the hire.

Regular users

Regular users are users who use the hall more than 10 times per annum and book their usage in advance through the regular user booking process. These users will be billed termly in advance, commencing on 1st January 2021. Alternative billing arrangements must be agreed with the treasurer in advance.

Payment via BACS – details at the top

The hall is not to be used for storage purposes except as agreed in advance by the Management Committee and then only in the storage space agreed. Limited space in the storeroom may be available to groups and associations by prior arrangement with the Management Committee. The storerooms must not be used for long term storage of equipment which is not used on a regular basis. Regular users are responsible for insuring their equipment left in the hall. The Management Committee does not accept any responsibility for property left in the hall between periods of hire.

Emergency contacts

Caretaker - Maureen Millbank 01225 859250

Treasurer - Susan Barclay 01225 858966

Bookings Secretary - Helen Bevan 01225 859347