T & C's OF HIRE AND INFORMATION FOR HIRERS

BOOKINGS
  • The Hall is bookable by the hour. Please see TARIFF for prices.
  • The Hall may be booked for recurring or single lettings. Hall hire is charged by the hour or session. The specified rates cover use of the Hall, the kitchen and use of the lavatories. Hirers 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 supervised by signing the relevant section on the Booking Agreement Form.
  • Regular Bookings with Fees/Commercial Hirers: Please include copies of your relevant Public Liability Insurance Certificate to validate your booking.
  • 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.
  • No charge is made for cleaning, provided that all facilities are left clean, tidy and in good repair, including the lavatories (as well as cooker and refrigerator if used). Any charges incurred due to breakages, poor cleaning, failure to replace furniture, etc. will be passed on to the Hirer or deducted from the deposit.
  • No apparatus or equipment of any description can be left on the premises without the prior consent of the Management Committee.

​DEPOSITS & CHARGES
  • For ‘one-off’ events a deposit of £25 is required. This is in addition to the Hire charge.
  • Both the deposit and the hire charge must be paid at the time of booking and sent to the Bookings Manager with the completed Booking Form.  Public Liability is the responsibility of the hirer pro tem.
  • Regular Hirers will be invoiced in advance and payment terms are strictly 14 days from the date of invoice.
  • The deposit will be refunded after the event subject to a satisfactory inspection and return of the key (where applicable).
  • Should a call-out to the Venture Hall be required as a result of a fault caused by the Hirer, a call-out charge will be deducted from the Hirer’s deposit.

​KEY
There is a  masterlock system for the key. 

​CANCELLATION
  • Hirers may cancel bookings by giving at least 2 weeks notice.
  • If a Hirer cancels a booking with at least 14 days notice being given, the deposit will be retained but the hiring charge will be refunded.
  • Cancellations made with less than 2 weeks notice are liable to a payment of the whole hiring charge.

The Trustees reserve the right to cancel any booking by giving notice in writing and returning the hiring charge and deposit, should the purpose of hiring the Hall be in any way improper or unauthorised, or should the building be required as a Polling Station, or in a case of force majeure. The Trustees shall not be liable to pay to the Hirer any money/loss incurred by the cancellation.

GENERAL HIRING CONDITIONS
Responsibility for the premises and the key rests with the Hirer during the period of access to the Hall.  The hire period must include set-up and clear-up times. The premises must not be accessed outside of the agreed hire period and must be vacated promptly at the end of the hire.

The Trustees reserve 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.
​
  • There is a strict no smoking policy on the premises.
  • No dogs are permitted in the building, with the exception of guide dogs.
  • No children under the age of 12 are allowed in the kitchen unless they are supervised by an adult.
  • All events should end by 23:00pm, except for New Years Eve when the event must end not later than 01:00am.
  • Special permission will be required for barbeques and the use of outdoor play facilities.
  • Please respect our neighbours, leave quietly and do not congregate outside before leaving the area.
  • The Budleigh Community Youth Project reserve the right to refuse use of the Venture Hall without explanation.

​KITCHEN FACILITIES
The kitchen facilities include a large electric stove, fridge/freezer, microwave, kettle, water heater (for hot drinks), cutlery and crockery.  Instructions for use will be found near them.  Please read carefully before using them and ensure that you are compliant with the kitchen regulations.  We do not supply tea towels or refuse bags.

​MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT
The Hall holds the appropriate licences for Public Entertainment. Music must cease by 23:00pm and all music must kept to a suitable level to avoid disturbance of neighbours. For commercial hires/regular bookings with fees, Hirers should ensure that they have proper insurance for any equipment used in the Hall, to include any damage caused by them to the Hall and its users.

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. Copies of certificates of insurance are required before a booking can be confirmed.  Without adequate insurance cover such equipment must not be used.  Hirers may be asked to remove such equipment from the premises.
​
Children shall be restricted from viewing age-restricted films classified according to the recommendations of the British Board of Film Classification. Performances involving danger to the public or of a sexually explicit nature shall not be given.

The current capacity of the main Hall is as follows:
  • Theatre performance 60/65
  • Seated 70
  • Standing 100

The tables and chairs are located behind the curtains in the main hall. ​
HEALTH & SAFETY
It is the responsibility of the individual Hirers to ensure that they are aware of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and to take reasonable precautions to ensure that their activities are carried out in a responsible way.

A copy of the Venture Hall Health & Safety Policy is kept on the noticeboard by the main entrance.  Contact details of the delegated Committee members are also kept in a cupboard in the kitchen along with a first aid kit.  A condition of the booking is that the Hirer has familiarised themselves with the Health and Safety policy on the website.
​
Any accidents should be reported to the Bookings Manager an Accident Report Form completed.  Accident Report Forms are kept in the cupboard in the entrance hall.

FIRE PRECAUTIONS
Hirers must make themselves familiar with the location of the fire extinguishers and the instructions for use, emergency exits and of the importance of fire doors. Hirers will be responsible for informing all those using the Hall of the position of the emergency exits. Hirers must also familiarise themselves with the instructions on what to do in case of fire. Instructions are displayed on the notice board.  Fireworks and candles are not allowed, either for internal or external use with the exception of birthday cake candles.

​ACCESS FOR ALL
There is access into the building for wheelchair users into the building and a designated lavatory inside. Assistance dogs are welcome in the Village Hall.

​ALCOHOL LICENCE
Licensed bars may be arranged by the Hirer in accordance with the Licensing Regulations.  It is the Hirer’s responsibility to ensure that they have complied with the legislation.  Alcohol consumption by persons under age must not be permitted.

The Hall has a Premises (Entertainment) Licence as required under The Licensing Act 2003.  A Hirer who wishes to sell alcohol at an event must complete and send off a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) to East Devon District Council.  This must be cleared in advance with the Committee.  Under the legislation, alcohol may be given away, but if it is sold in any form, i.e. by raffle ticket, donation or included in the price of a ticket, then a Licence or TEN must be held.  It is the recommendation of the Trustees that if alcohol is to be sold, it is done in the normal way (i.e. priced by glass/bottle, etc).  Licence Holders will be required to produce a certificate at the time of booking and certificates MUST be available at the time of the event.

It is an offence to sell/serve alcohol to persons under 18 years of age.

If for any reason alcohol is being sold without a Licence or permission to sell alcohol has not been given when the booking was made or there are signs of alcohol-related behaviour, any Trustee can close the event immediately.

The Management Committee and Hirer can be held legally responsible for criminal offences carried out at the Hall and as a result the Hall may lose its licence.

​UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THE COMMITTEE TOLERATE ANY BREACH OF THE ABOVE LEGISLATION.
​
No licence is needed for free alcohol.

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

​SUPERVISION
Hirers are held responsible for adequate supervision of the premises and for use of the grounds by their own party during the period of hire and must ensure that fire exits and access to them are kept clear at all times.

Child Protection It is the responsibility of the Hirer (under the Children Act 2004) to ensure the safety of all children at all times at any event. There is also a responsibility to safeguard vulnerable adults. The Venture Hall Committee has a Policy for Child Protection and Safeguarding of Young People and Vulnerable Adults. This document is kept in the entrance hall.

Hirers are responsible for the observance of the law regarding child protection, in particular that adults having continuing and close contact with children or vulnerable adults should have undergone a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check.  A declaration form for such user groups should be signed and returned with the booking form to the Bookings Secretary.
​
Any incidents should be reported to the Committee.