Lynworth Hall

Conditions of hire

Conditions of hire for Lynworth Hall, Mendip Road, Cheltenham GL52 5ED.

Terms and Conditions of Hire ("the Hire Conditions") given below are in respect to the Trustees of Harvest Field Church ("the Charity"), the hire of Lynworth Hall ("the Premises") and the Person or Organisation named in the hire agreement ("the Hirer").

Definitions

"The Charity" is a registered charity (Registered Number 1120158) with its main purpose(s) to: advance the Christian faith, provide charitable relief to those in need, and provision of hall meeting space for local community activities. "The Premises" refers to Lynworth Hall both the building and its grounds. "The Hirer" is the person named on the booking form whether the booking is on his or her own behalf or on behalf of an organisation or group.

Acceptance of Conditions

The completion of the Hiring Agreement shall constitute an acceptance of the conditions set out below.

Capacity of the main hall:

Closely seated: 60. Seated at tables: 24.

Availability and details of hire

The Premises may be booked for recurring or single lettings. Hire is charged by the hour. The minimum hire period is 2 hours. Set-up and clear-up times must be included in the hire period. The premises must not be accessed outside of the agreed hire period and must be vacated promptly at the end of the hire.

The Hirer must be aged 18 years or over. If the event is to involve persons under the age of 18 years, the Hirer must give assurances that children under 18 will be adequately supervised at all times.

No charge is made for cleaning, provided that all facilities are left clean, tidy and in good repair. Any charges incurred due to breakages, poor cleaning, failure to replace furniture, etc. will be passed on to the Hirer.

Hire charge due date

The hire charge - and heating surcharge if applicable - must be paid once the Charity gives written confirmation of a willingness to take the booking.

A booking is not deemed accepted or secured until the Charity has received the booking payment.

Required documentation

It is required that the Hirer’s name and address be verified. The Charity will attempt to do this verification on a people search website. The name the Hirer will need to show up in the search alongside the address provided by the Hirer. If this fails, the Hirer will need to supply a proof of ID that includes address details.

For a business or organisation event, the Hirer must supply links to the business or organisation web presence. This web presence will need to show the business or organisation to be a viable entity with operating credentials that can be verified. The Charity will only accept bookings from a business or organisation that can be verified.

The Charity reserves the right to decline a booking without offering explanation.

Undertaking of the Hirer

The Hirer undertakes to have a good understanding of the Hire Conditions currently in force.

Hire period supervision

The Hirer undertakes to be present, or arrange for sufficient adult representatives to be present, throughout the hire period to ensure compliance with the provisions and stipulations contained or referred to in these Hire Conditions and any relevant licenses.

If the Hirer is not going to be present during a hire period, the Hirer must provide the Bookings Secretary with the name and mobile phone contact details of the person who will supervise during the hire period. This is particularly in order that any change of key safe or gate lock combination codes can be communicated. Failure to do this therefore may result in the Premises not being accessible for the hire period. The hire charge in this case is not refundable.

Responsibility of the Hirer

The Hirer shall be responsible during the period of hire for:

• Being familiar with, and complying with, the guides provided for the use of the Premises
• Ensuring that the Premises are kept secure for the duration of the hire
• Supervision of the use of the Premises and the care of its fabric and contents
• Ensuring that the Premises (including entry ramp, main entrance, kitchen, kitchen appliances and toilets as appropriate) are left clean and tidy with rubbish removed from the site at the end of the hire
• Ensuring that all equipment, chairs and tables have been returned to their storage positions safely, the Premises are cleared of people, all lights switched off, heating switched off and the building secured
• Ensuring that any temporary fittings and fixtures comply with Health and Safety guidance, and in particular ensuring that any decorations used are not a fire hazard
• Ensuring that any equipment or electrical appliances brought onto the Premises and used there shall be certified safe and in good working order, and used in a safe manner
• Ensuring that no animals (including birds), except assist dogs are brought into the building, without written permission of the Charity on the occasion of a special event or hire agreed to by the Charity
• Ensuring that NO animals whatsoever enter the kitchen at any time
• Ensuring that no Barbeques, LPG appliances or highly flammable substances are brought onto the Premises
• Ensuring that they and their attendees recognise the fact that the Premises are situated in a residential neighbourhood and conduct themselves accordingly by, for example, taking care not to slam car doors, especially during the evening, and not playing music or making other sounds at inappropriate levels.

Use of Premises

The Hirer shall not:

• sub-let or use the Premises for any purpose other than that described in their Booking Application
• use the Premises or allow the Premises to be used for any unlawful purpose or in any unlawful way
• do anything or bring onto the Premises anything which may endanger the Premises or render invalid any insurance policies in respect thereof
• allow the use of drugs on the Premises
• allow smoking in the Premises, in the patio area or in the vicinity of the entrances

Key

Hirers must contact the Bookings Secretary at least one week before the date of hire. The Bookings Secretary will make arrangements for the collection of the key. The key must be returned to the collection point immediately after the hire.

Responsibility for the Premises and the key rests with the Hirer during the period of access to the Premises.

Access by the Charity

The Charity reserves the right to enter the Hall at any time during an event if it has reason to believe there may be a problem, and to impose further conditions on the spot or curtail the event as it considers necessary for the welfare of guests or the safety of the building or the impropriety of use.

Car Parking

Vehicles parked in the access road to the Premises are at owner’s risk. Vehicles must not be parked in the area designated to the residents of Hannah Boote House. Vehicles must not obstruct access to Hannah Boote House, the pedestrian walkway or the dropped kerb areas.

The law and licensable activities

The Hirer is responsible for:

• The duty to obtain any licence or approval from any person or authority is complied with for any and all licensable activities
• Ensuring no excessive noise occurs, particularly late at night or early morning, with a minimum of noise being made by any person on arrival or departure

Supervision of activities by Hirer

The Hirer shall ensure that the users:

• do not contravene the law relating to gaming, betting, and lotteries
• comply with all conditions and regulations required by the Licensing Act, particularly in connection with events which include public dancing or music, or stage plays, or films, or similar entertainment taking place at the premises
• at no time use the Premises for any purpose other than the Purpose of Hiring described in the Hiring Agreement and shall not 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 thereof

Food Safety

Under the Food Safety Act 1990, it is the responsibility of persons providing food for any event held in the Premises to ensure that they are aware of and abide by the legal requirements. The Charity is not responsible for any food brought into the Hall.

Fire Regulations

The Hirer shall:

• Ensure that the “Emergency Exit” sign is not obscured
• Ensure that the Fire Brigade is called to any outbreak of fire, however slight, and details immediately reported to the contact person for the Charity
• Prior to the start of an event indicate the fire exit and Evacuation Meeting Place to the persons attending the event

Evacuation Meeting Place

The Evacuation Meeting Place is the Car Park designated to Hannah Boote House located on the walkway outside the Premises gate. No person may re-enter the Hall without the permission of the Fire Brigade.

Music and Entertainment

The Hirer has the responsibility for applying for any and all appropriate licences for Public Entertainment. Music must kept to a suitable level to avoid disturbance of neighbours and must be playing ended by 10 pm.

The showing of age-restricted films as classified according to the recommendations of the British Board of Film Classification is not permitted.

Children or vulnerable adults

The Hirer shall ensure that any activities at the Premises for children or vulnerable adults comply with current legislation in that regard and that only fit and proper persons have access to children or vulnerable adults. It is the responsibility of the Hirer to have all necessary Child Protection Policies in place. The Charity reserves the right to require the Hirer to provide it with a copy of its Child Protection Policies.

Indemnity

As directed by the Charity, the Hirer shall make good or pay for all damage (including accidental damage) to the Premises or to the fixtures, fittings or contents and for loss of contents.

The Hirer shall indemnify and keep indemnified each of the Trustees of the Charity and their employees, volunteers, agents and invitees against:

• the cost of repair of any damage done to any part of the Premises including the curtilage thereof or the contents of the Premises
• against all actions, claims, and costs of proceedings arising from any breach of the Hire Conditions
• all claims in respect of damages, including damage for loss of property or injury to persons, arising as a result of the use of the Premises (including the storage of equipment) by the Hirer

Insurance

The Hirer is responsible for ensuring that any catering company or operator hired to bring equipment such as bouncy castles onto the Premises has relevant and appropriate insurance, which shall include public liability insurance. Such companies or operators must provide Public Liability insurance (£5,000,000 minimum indemnity).

Health and Safety

It is the responsibility of the individual Hirers to ensure that they are aware of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and to take reasonable precautions to ensure that their activities are carried out in a responsible way.

The Hirer must report all accidents involving injury to the public to an authorised representative of the Charity as soon as possible, and complete the relevant section in the Charity’s Accident Book. Any failure of equipment, either that belonging to the Charity, or brought in by the Hirer must also be reported as soon as possible.

Equipment brought onto or left on the Premises

Responsibility for the use and safety of electrical equipment (and/or other equipment specified at the time of booking) brought on to the premises by the Hirer rests entirely with the Hirer. Any such electrical equipment must have passed the necessary P.A.T. tests and certificates must be produced upon request.

Public Liability insurance cover must exist for such equipment. Without adequate insurance cover such equipment must not be used. Hirers may be asked to remove such equipment from the premises.

The Charity accepts no responsibility for any stored equipment or other property brought onto or left at the premises and all liability for loss or damage is hereby excluded.

No apparatus or equipment of any description can be left on the premises without the prior consent of the Charity.

All equipment and other property, other than that stored on the premises by agreement, must be removed at the end of each hiring or storage period.

The Charity may dispose of any such items 7 days thereafter at its discretion, by sale or otherwise on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit, and charge the Hirer daily storage fees and costs incurred in storing and selling or otherwise disposing of the same.

No responsibility whatsoever can be taken for any personal items left on the premises or any damage caused by them to the premises or any misuse of them by others.

Decorations and alterations

Decorations may be hung from the ornamental bosses/hooks provided on the side walls of the Premises but not elsewhere. On request, Hirers must produce a certificate that the decorations are not a fire hazard. No drawing pins, adhesive tape or similar may be used.

No other alterations or additions may be made to the Premises, and no fixtures may be installed, or placards, or other articles be attached in any way to any part of the Premises without the prior written approval of the Charity.

Any alteration, fixture or fitting, or attachment, so approved, shall, at the discretion of the Charity, remain in the Premises at the end of the hiring and become the property of the Charity or be removed by the Hirer. The Hirer must make good to the satisfaction of the Charity any damage caused to the Premises by such removal.

Cancellation by the Hirer

If it proves necessary to cancel your booking, we request that you let us know promptly giving us as much time as possible to make the booking date available to others. Your cancellation should be communicated to us by email. It will take effect from the date received by us.

The amount paid for the autumn/winter hearing surcharge will be refunded in full for any cancellation.

A refund on the hire cost is permitted at the rates set out below:

• Cancellation less than 7 days prior to event date – 0% of Hire Charge
• Cancellation more than 7 days prior to event date – 80% of Hire Charge

Cancellation by the Charity

The Charity reserves the right to cancel a booking by written notice to the Hirer. In any such case the Hirer shall be entitled to a refund of any deposit or hire fees already paid, but the Charity shall not be liable for any resulting direct or indirect loss or damages whatsoever.

The Charity will cancel a booking if the Charity reasonably considers that:

• such hiring may lead to a breach of the licensing conditions, or other legal or statutory requirements, or unlawful, unverifiable or unsuitable activities may take place at the Premises as a result of the hiring, or the Premises have become unfit for the use intended by the Hirer

Acceptance

These Terms and Conditions will have been made available to the Hirer in advance of the booking. By proceeding with the booking the Hirer is deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions.

How to book

If you would like to enquire about booking the hall for a community activity or meeting please contact us by using the simple form on our Contact page. We will get back to you with further details.