Standard Conditions of Hire

1. The Hirer shall take good care of and shall not cause any damage or permit or suffer any damage to the building or to any part or parts thereof or to any fittings, equipment or other property therein and shall pay for any damage thereto (including accidental damage) caused by any act or neglect of himself, his servants, agents or any person resorting to the building by reason of the use of the hired premises by him. (Note:  It is suggested that in the Hirer’s own interests he arrange private insurance to cover all such damage).
2. Any equipment (including soft play equipment) brought into and used at the hall is done so at the owner’s/hirer’s risk. Any injury to persons or damage to the hall caused by the equipment will be the responsibility of the hirer. It is strongly recommended that appropriate insurance for any such equipment is in place prior to the hire.
3. The Trustees of Goosnargh Village Hall do not accept any responsibility whatsoever attributable to any damage or loss by fire, theft or from any other cause, to any articles or other belongings brought into the building for sale, exhibition or for any other purpose.
4. In the event of the Hall or any part thereof being rendered unfit for the use for which it has been hired, the Committee shall not be liable to the Hirer for any resulting loss or damage whatsoever.
5. The premises must be used only for the purpose for which they are hired. The Hirer shall not sublet or use the premises for any unlawful purpose or in any unlawful way or do anything or bring anything onto the premises, which may endanger the same, or any insurance policies in respect thereof.
6. The Hirer will be responsible for providing adequate staff for the supervision, running and security of the function, including the car park. The Hirer is responsible for ensuring such staff have familiarised themselves with the location and operation of fire extinguishers, fire exits and evacuation procedures. See emergency plan for temporary responsible persons issued with this booking form. In an emergency the gas isolating valve is in the cupboard under the stairs.
7. If the Hirer uses the kitchen the hygiene regulations displayed must be adhered to and all waste removed before leaving the premises.
8. The hirer shall be responsible for leaving the premises and surrounds in a clean and tidy condition, properly locked and secure with all property returned to their usual position otherwise the Committee reserve the right to make an additional charge. Our facility for waste disposal is limited so event hirers are asked to take their waste away with them and dispose of responsibly.
9. The Committee retains the right, at its discretion, to refuse to let the premises, or part, to any person or body. We also reserve the right to cancel the booking and shall not be liable to the hirer for any resulting loss or damage whatsoever.
10. The Hirer shall pay to the Treasurer before commencement of the hire the balance of the total hiring charge.
11. All applications for the hire of the hall must be in writing, using the Goosnargh Village Hall Booking Form. The person by whom the application form is signed shall be considered the Hirer. Where a promoting organisation is named on the application form, that organisation also shall be considered the Hirer and shall be jointly and severally liable hereon with the person who signs the form.
12. The use of bouncy castles and other inflatable devices is subject to prior agreement and special conditions. Please contact the booking secretary before finalising your event plans.
13. Any person hiring the hall is responsible for being aware of and complying with any legislation applicable to the activity for which they are hiring the hall.
14. Any form of mains electrical equipment which the Hirer wishes to bring and use must have been certified as safe by a qualified electrician within the previous 12 months and notified to the booking secretary in advance of the hire.
15. Portable gas appliances such as stoves, cookers, barbecues (whether gas or charcoal) or any other device utilising a naked flame must not be brought on to the premises.
16. Fireworks: the use of fireworks anywhere within the curtilage of the village hall (external or internal) is expressly forbidden.
17. The booking of the Hall by any Hirer indicates acceptance of all these Standard Conditions of Hire. These conditions may not be varied in any way unless the Hirer receives written approval for such from the Chairman of the Committee as sanctioned by the committee in meeting.

GOOSNARGH AND WHITTINGHAM VILLAGE HALL EMERGENCY PLAN FOR TEMPORARY RESPONSIBLE PERSONS

As the responsible person for the event/function, etc you have legal duties with regards to the safety of those persons assisting or attending the event.

BEFORE the event or function you should be aware of:

• What fire protection systems are present
• How a fire will be detected
• How people will be warned if there is a fire
• What should be done if a fire is discovered
• How the evacuation of the premises should be carried out
• Where people should assemble after they have left the premises and procedures for checking whether the premises have been evacuated
• Identification of key escape routes and exits
• How the fire and rescue service will be called
• Checking that all escape routes are clear of obstructions and combustible materials
• Arrangements for means of escape for those especially at risk such as disabled persons and children
• Your plans to deal with people once they have left the premises, especially children

AT THE START of the event or function you should notify all those present about:

• The smoking policy (ie no smoking anywhere within the building)
• The emergency warning signal
• Who is supervising the event and how to identify them
• Location of exits and escape routes
• When evacuating the premises to take only valuables immediately to hand and not to go and collect other items
• The location of muster points
• What will happen after the evacuation eg re-entry to the building (usually only on the instruction of the attending fire officer

DURING the event or function:

• Escape routes and exits do not become blocked
• The smoking policy is strictly adhered to
• No naked flames are started unless authorised eg candles
• Where such naked flames are present that combustible material is kept clear
• Rooms do not become over crowded
• Noise levels cannot drown out the fire alarm

NOTE: HEATING

The hall endeavours to provide a comfortable temperature for our users. The heating can be controlled by a thermostat mounted on the wall adjacent to the door leading to the toilet passageway.

We have found that an ideal setting, given the location of the thermostat, is 15 degrees.

If you wish to alter the temperature to your own needs please remember to reset the thermostat to 15 degrees before you leave.

If you find the hall cold it may be that the previous user has turned down the thermostat and not restored it to its recommended setting SO PLEASE CHECK THE THERMOSTAT BEFORE CALLING THE BOOKINGS SECRETARY (07990 516235)