Terms of Letting

1. Supervision:

The Hirer will, during the period of the hire, be accountable as the ‘Responsible Person’ for supervision of the premises, the fabric and the contents, their care, safety from damage however slight, and behaviour of all persons using the premises, whatever their capacity.

2. Use of premises:

a) The Hirer shall not use the premises for any purpose other than that described in the hiring agreement 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 same or render invalid any insurance policies in respect therof.
b) No fireworks are permitted in the vicinity of the Hall, the grassed area and Car Park. Express permission is required for the erection of marquees, tents or other structures at the rear of the Hall. This also applies to the use of BBQs or other cooking arrangements.
c) Use of laser beams or artificial smoke is not permitted inside the building.
d) Where children are present in the letting and have access to the external area to the rear of the Hall via the Emergency Door, users must ensure that the gates are secured and children do not leave this area.

3. Care of premises and property:

No application will be accepted from any person under the age of 18. The Hirer will be responsible for any loss, theft or damage occasioned to the premises or equipment during the term of hiring and any such loss will be charged on the Hirer.

4. Liability:

The Trustees will not accept liability for any loss or injury sustained by the hirer, his/her guests or other persons attending the function for which the premises have been hired unless and only if it is attributable to the Trustees’ negligence or that of their representatives.

5. Access by Trustees:

The Hirer shall on demand afford access to any of the Trustees or their agents and conform to any reasonable instructions that they may give.

6. Consumption of alcohol:

The premises are licensed for the sale of alcohol for hirers who are Crawley village residents.  This is subject to the Trustees’ discretion and agreement.

For non resident hirers who wish alcohol to be sold on the premises, a Temporary Events Notice must be applied for from the Winchester City Council Licensing authority.   However these are limited in number and any such application must first have the approval of the Trustees.

In order to comply with the Licensing Act 2003 the hirer, or person nominated by the hirer, will take full responsibility for supervising the sale and consumption of alcohol on the premises and for ensuring that no alcohol is sold or consumed by a person under the age of 18 years.

The Crawley Village Hall Management Committee (ie the Trustees) have adopted the “Challenge 21” scheme.  This requires the hirer to challenge any person that appears under the age of 21 for photographic ID prior to any sale of alcohol.  If the person cannot prove they are over 18 years of age, they must be refused the sale of alcohol.

7. Music licences:

The Hall does not hold either a PPL licence for the playing of sound recordings where the music is still in copyright, or a PRS for Music licence for live performance of music under copyright.  The Trustees’ understanding is that such licences are not required for private functions (eg weddings, birthdays, christenings) but are required where the Hall is hired for public or commercial functions where music under copyright will be played and/or performed.  For such functions, the Trustees will ask for confirmation from the hirers of the Hall that either: a) no copyrighted music will be played or performed; or b) that the relevant licence(s) are held by the hirers of the Hall.

8. Removal of property:

Property belonging to the Trustees must not be removed from the premises under any circumstances. No equipment is to be taken outside the building except by specific approval of the Trustees or their agents.

9. Maximum numbers:

The Hall is licensed in respect of Music, Singing, Dancing, Theatrical Productions and Films. The maximum number allowed in the Main (Wren) Hall at any one time is 200, and in the Finch (Meeting) Room 40.

10. Smoking:

Smoking is not permitted within any part of the building.

11. Safety precautions:

All doors, gangways, exit notices and exits must be kept clear at all times. Fire exit doors must not be locked while the Hall is in use. Fire precautions must be observed and the Hirer must undertake to know the location of all Fire Extinguishers and Exit Doors. (See also Item 19 of the Terms of Letting regarding Access).

12. Safety of electrical equipment:

It is a requirement that the Hirer holds a valid Electrical Test Certificate for each electrical appliance or cable brought into the premises during the hire period.

13. Cancellation of booking:

If the Hirer cancels a booking after payment has been made, then 50% of the Total Hire Charge Less Discount as indicated on the Hire invoice is non-refundable.  Should the cancellation be made less than fourteen days before the date of the first booking indicated on the invoice, then 100% of the Total Hire Charge Less Discount will become non-refundable.

14. Car parking:

Car parking is limited to a small number of spaces indicated in an area opposite the main ramped entrance to the Hall. There are also two car parking spaces available for the disabled immediately adjacent to the ramp.  Parking is permitted on the Main Street but care must be taken not to block any entrances to residents’ drives. (No cars must be parked FOR ANY REASON on the access road to the Cottages located at the rear of the Hall. This restriction also applies to the parking areas and circulation space in front of the Cottages. The Hirer must acquaint guests arriving by car of these restrictions).

15. Animals:

The Hirer shall ensure that no animals (including birds and reptiles) except Guide Dogs are brought into the building, other than with special approval of the Trustees or their agents. At no time shall animals be allowed to enter the kitchen.

16. Health & hygiene:

The Hirer shall, if preparing, serving or selling food, observe all relevant food, health and hygiene legislation and associated regulations.

17. Accidents & dangerous occurences:

The Hirer must report all accidents involving injury to the public to the Trustees or their agents as soon as possible. This also applies to the failure of equipment belonging to the Hall or brought in by the Hirer.

18. Compliance with legislation & licenses:

The Hirer shall, as the ‘Responsible Person’, ensure that any activities for children under eight years of age comply with the provisions of the Children’s Acts and that only fit and proper persons have access to the children. Equally that all conditions and restrictions of theatre, film and other entertainment licences issued by Winchester City Council are adhered to.

19. Noise & nuisance:

The Hirer shall ensure that the minimum of noise is made during the period of the hire, including arrival and departure. (The Hall is situated in a quiet residential area of the Village and the utmost care shall be taken to avoid undue and unnecessary disturbance to the nearby residents). MUSIC must end by 11.15pm on Saturday and 10.45pm on other days. In no circumstances are fireworks to be set off in the vicinity of the Hall, grassed area or Car Park.

20. Access to the Hall:

The main ramped access to the Hall must be used at all times. The Access Code will be advised to the Hirer when the hire charge is paid. (The old Access Door from the Main Street will not normally be used as an entrance to the Hall. However, as an identified FIRE EXIT, when the Main Hall is in use, this door will still be used as an Emergency Exit and must be kept as such in readiness).

21. Block bookings:

Special rates are available to organizations that wish to hire the Hall on a regular basis. Special rates will be negotiated with such organizations that are judged to fall within this category.

22. Charges for hire of the Hall:

A schedule of standard charges is available that provides for varying rates for hire of different parts of the Hall. (In most cases of hire, kitchen access will be freely available). There are also different rates for week-end and week-day hiring. Discounts are available for the hire by Village Residents for essentially domestic and family occasions and for regular users. Whole-day hire of the Hall will also attract a reduction from the standard rates.

23. Kitchen facilities:

The kitchen is modern and well equipped with two good size electric ovens, an associated five ring gas hob and extractor fan. A hot water boiler and kettles are also available. There is a refrigerator, a dish-washer and hot water on tap. See Item 23 for details of other equipment.  The kitchen facilities are available to most hirers but it is essential that the various items of equipment are used with great care, particularly the use of the ovens and gas hob, The ‘Responsible Person’ must ensure that users, including outside caterers, are aware of their responsibilities in this respect. All equipment must be turned off before finally vacating the Hall.

24. The Village Hall inventory:

The Hall is equipped with an ample number of tables and chairs which are stored off the Main Hall. Also available in the kitchen are every-day items of crockery (cups, saucers and side plates suitable for serving coffee, tea, sandwiches and cakes). These, together with a restricted number of goblets and tumblers, are readily available in the kitchen cupboards.
Additionally, and available by arrangement with the Trustees, are up to 100 place settings (dinner, pudding and side plates together with associated cutlery). For these to be available the Trustees will need to be informed of the number of place settings required. Every care must be taken to ensure that all the items made available are returned . These will be checked and any items which are missing must be paid for.

25. Tidying the Hall after use:

Every care is taken by the Trustees to ensure that the Hall is in extremely good order prior to a letting and that all items of equipment, including the toilet accommodation (male, female and disabled), are maintained to a very high standard. The Hirer is requested to ensure that the condition of the Hall as far as possible is left as found on arrival and that all floors are swept, paying particular attention to the state of entrance hall when adverse weather conditions occur. All rubbish should be placed in the black plastic bags provided (in the kitchen) and taken away by the Hirer. A deposit of £50 is to be paid with each booking for Wedding receptions (or similar events). This will be refunded to the Hirer if the Hall is left clean and tidy after the event.