Terms and Conditions

Throughout this document, ‘You’ means the hirer
‘We’ means the village hall management committee
‘Hire period’ means the period of time for which you are using the hall

Suitability of the hall for your intended purpose

Facilities: The hall has capacity for 100 guests seated as an audience, 80 at tables, 130 people maximum (including children) on the premises. It has a kitchen, a small committee room, and toilets (including one suitable for wheelchair access). There is car parking for 4 vehicles, 8 if doubled-parked, plus one accessible space for guests with limited mobility. Internet access via wi-fi. Mobile reception is poor and there is no landline.

Equipment: range cooker, microwave, fridge with small ice compartment, boiling water dispenser, kettle. Cutlery and crockery for 65 covers, with extra cups and saucers. 5 large tables, 18 small tables, 100 matching chairs and 36 everyday chairs.

Animals: No animals except guide dogs are allowed in the hall, unless you make a special arrangement with us beforehand. No animals whatsoever are allowed in the kitchen or the committee room.

Personal safety

Responsible adult: You must be over 18 to hire the village hall (over 25 for teenage parties). You must ensure that a responsible adult, sober enough to drive a car, is present throughout your hire period. If you enter the hall during another person’s hire period (for example to collect something) you must make yourself known to the responsible adult. Officers may enter the hall during your hire period to check the presence of the responsible adult.

Ratio of adults to children: You must have at least 2 adults present for all activities involving children under 18, and maintain a ratio of 1 adult to every 10 children. We may agree a different arrangement for registered organisations which have their own rules about this.

Fire procedures: You must check the location of all fire-fighting equipment and fire exits at the start of your hire period. You must open the back gate at the start of your hire period and close it at the end. You must keep all fire exits free of obstruction during the hire period. You must not use smoke machines (or similar). You must call the fire brigade if there is a fire, and tell the booking secretary what happened.

Dangerous materials: If you bring dangerous materials into the village hall, you must make sure you use them safely. By dangerous materials, we mean:
• Any gas
• Chemicals and poisons
• Flammable materials
• Naked flames.

Child protection and safeguarding of vulnerable adults: If children or vulnerable adults are using the hall during your hire period, you must make sure you comply with the law to protect them. You must show us a copy of your child protection or safeguarding vulnerable adults policy if we ask to see it. You must show us your DBS clearance (or the DBS clearance of anyone you employ to provide a service during your hire period) if we ask to see it.

Electrical appliances: We regularly test the portable electrical appliances in the village hall to check they are safe. You may bring your own appliances and use them in the village hall, and you may employ somebody during your hire period (for example, a DJ) who brings their own appliances. If you do this, you must make sure your own appliances are in good working order, and you must use them safely. You are also responsible for making sure your contractor does this too, and has adequate insurance. If the electrics trip during your booking, please open the fuse cupboard by the main door using the key hanging on the wall, to reset the fuse.

Bouncy castles: Bouncy castles are permitted, on the understanding that you accept full responsibility and liability.

First aid box: There is a first aid box on the side by the kitchen back door. You may use this if there is an accident and you have not brought your own first aid kit. Please contact us afterwards about replacing any items you use.

Accidents: You must record any accident which causes an injury in the accident book (kept with the first aid kit). Please also record any ‘near miss’ incidents.

Good neighbourliness

Parking: You must ensure that your group parks its cars considerately in the area around the village hall. In particular, you must not block the private driveway next to the school, or the school gates.

Smoking: You must not allow smoking or vaping anywhere inside the building. Please use the smoking area and ash tray outside at the front of the hall.

Alcohol: You must make sure people do not drink excessively during your hire period. You must avoid drunk and disorderly conduct affecting nearby homes. If we attend the hall during your hire period and find people under the age of 18 drinking alcohol or in possession of any illegal substance, we may end your booking immediately.

Noise: You must make sure that during your hire period you do not generate excessive noise. You must make sure that those leaving the village hall at the end of your hire period do so quietly and with minimum disturbance to nearby homes. In particular, please minimise car doors banging, loud talk, and rowdy behaviour.

Flyposting: Please do not fix posters advertising your event onto local lamp posts or telegraph poles.

Rubbish and recycling: You may dispose of one bag of general rubbish in the village hall’s outside bin. The key for the bin hangs beside the kitchen back door. You must take your recycling, and any excess rubbish, away with you.

Cupboards and drawers: We let groups who use the hall regularly store things in the kitchen, committee room, and garage. You must not use any items from the committee room or garage, unless they belong to you. In the kitchen, you may only use items from cupboards and drawers labelled ‘general use’ (and those belonging to your group, if applicable). You must not use items from the other labelled cupboards and drawers.

Complying with the law

You are responsible for complying with the law during the period of your booking, including, but not limited to:
• Food hygiene requirements
• Performing rights
• Sale of goods
• Gaming, betting and lotteries
• Public safety compliance
• Provision and sale of alcohol (you will need to apply to Daventry District Council for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) if you intend to sell alcohol during your booking).

We are insured against any claim arising from our negligence. But we have no legal liability for injury or death caused by your failure to comply with the law.

Using the hall

Booking form: You must use our booking form to arrange your hire period. When you make a booking, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of hire set out in this document. When we confirm the booking with you, the booking becomes a contract. Occasionally, we may need to alter the terms of a booking.

Sub-letting: When you arrange to hire the hall, you must not sub-let any part of your booking period to any individual or organisation.

Hours of hire: You must include, and pay for, in your hire period the time you intend to spend setting up and clearing away. We will tell you if other bookings affect how long you can have. Talk to the booking secretary if you want to do the clearing up the next day, instead of straight after your event. We do not permit hire of the hall beyond midnight (1am for clearing up) or before 8am.

Booking deposit (private parties and large events at the booking secretary's discretion): We may require booking deposit of £30 when you make your booking. We will deduct this from the final invoice. If you want to cancel your booking before the date of the event, we may decide to keep the booking deposit if we cannot secure a replacement booking.

Damage and cleaning deposit (parties and public events at the booking secretary’s discretion): You must pay us a damage and cleaning deposit of £150 before the start of your hire period. You must pay this in cash. We will hold the cash until we have inspected the hall after your hire period. We will check you have:
• Not damaged the hall
• Left the hall clean and tidy
• Taken away recycling and excess rubbish
• Switched off all the lights and heaters.

If we are satisfied with how you have left the hall, we will return your deposit. If not, we will refund the balance after deducting the cost to put matters right.

Damage: You must be particularly careful not to cause damage to the village hall from chewing gum; blu-tack, sticky tape and other similar fixings; and pins and nails.

Spills: You must use the spill kit in the kitchen to deal with any spills or stickiness on the main hall floor resulting from your booking. Follow the instructions in the spill kit and please do not use ordinary soap or cleaners, as these damage the floor sealant.

Kitchen: You must ventilate the kitchen while you are using it. There is an extractor fan over the cooker and you may also open windows and the back door (but remember to lock them again before you leave).

Reporting problems: Please use the diary by the light switches to record any problems with the village hall equipment and facilities. We check this weekly. If the problem will affect your booking if we do not resolve it quickly, please contact the booking secretary straight away by phone.

Privacy Statement

West Haddon Village Hall uses personal data for the purposes of managing the Hall, its bookings and finances, running and marketing events at the Hall, staff employment and its fundraising activities. Data may be retained for up to 7 years for accounts purposes and for longer where required by the Hall’s insurers. If you would like to find out more about how we use your personal data or want to see a copy of information about you that we hold, please contact the secretary.