Bookings
Clicking on one of the following keywords will jump to the relevant FAQ section further down the list:
Deposits / Cancellations / Parties / Bouncy castles / Decorations / Furniture / Capacity / Music & Video / Parking / Keys
Q. How do I hire the hall?
A. Please see our Rates and Bookings page for full details of the bookings process.
Q. What does it cost?
A. Fees to hire the hall depend on date and time, with separate fees payable for add-on services such as the licensed bar or special crockery/cutlery hire. Please see the Rates section of our Rates and Bookings page for full details of all the hire fees.
Q. Is the hall available on the date I want?
A. Please use our Hall Availability Calendar (which shows all existing bookings) to check whether the time and date you want to hire the hall is available or is already booked.
Q. Can I view the premises before submitting a firm booking request?
A. Yes. First please have a look at the photos and plan of our hall on the Facilities page as they will give you a good overview. Then if you still want to view it in person, please submit a booking enquiry using the email form on our Rates and Bookings page, and in the message box say that you would like to view the hall first. Our bookings officer or another member of the committee will be happy to meet you at the hall at a mutually convenient time to show you around.
Q. Is the deposit all I need to pay in advance?
A. No. You must pay the hire fees in full and the damage deposit to secure your booking. The damage deposit is not a part payment of the hire fees, but is required to cover the potential cost of repairing damage, additional cleaning, or replacing a lost key if necessary. The damage deposit will be refunded in full after your hire as long as the necessary conditions listed in the hire agreement are fulfilled.
Q. How do I pay?
A. We prefer payment by direct bank transfer please. Our account details are on the booking form. If you are unable to pay by bank transfer, please contact our bookings officer to arrange payment in cash. We do not accept payment by cheque and we are currently unable to accept payment of hire fees or deposits by credit card (however, if you hire the bar, drinks purchases on the day can be paid for by credit card).
Q. What if I need to cancel my booking?
A. If you cancel your booking more than 30 days before the hire date you will receive a full refund of hire fees and the damage deposit. As stated on the booking form, if you cancel within 30 days of the hire date, a charge of 50% of the hall hire fees may be levied, and if you cancel within 7 days of your booking, you may forfeit all of your hire fees as we will not have time to re-hire the hall to someone else. For all cancellations you will receive a full refund of your damage deposit.
Q. What if I booked the bar but change my mind and only want to use the hall?
A. 10 days notice is required to cancel a bar booking, otherwise a charge will be levied to cover costs such as cancellation of bar staff.
Q. Can I bring in my own drinks?
A. The answer depends on whether or not you have hired the hall’s licensed bar:
If you have hired the bar, you must not bring in your own drinks of any kind (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) without paying a corkage fee, agreed in advance.
If you have not hired the bar, you may bring in your own soft drinks, but you must not bring any alcoholic drinks onto the premises without paying a corkage fee, agreed in advance.
Q. Can I hire the hall for a child’s or teenager’s party?
A. It depends on their age. Birthday parties for children aged 10 or under are one of the most popular reasons for members of the community hiring our hall. However, we do not take party bookings for age 11 to 19 year-olds.
Q. Can I bring in a bouncy castle for a children’s party and how big can it be?
A. Yes, but there are restrictions: You can hire a bouncy castle from an external provider, but it cannot be more than 11 feet (3.35 metres) tall. Also, it must be positioned in the corner at the main entrance end of the hall, well away from the stage, to avoid accidental damage to our video projector which is suspended from the hall ceiling, and to allow clear access to the fire exits.
Q. Can I put up decorations in the hall?
A. Yes, feel free to decorate the hall for your event if you wish, but please do not stick anything to the walls using sticky tape as it can damage the paintwork. Blu-tack (preferably the white type) is ok but please remove it and all of your decorations after your hire, and leave the hall in the condition that you found it.
Q. What tables & chairs are available to use?
A. We have 14 larger rectangular tables and 18 smaller square tables that you will find stacked in the corner of the hall. There are 75 black/silver chairs stacked in the side area in front of the bar and a similar number of blue chairs stacked on the stage. You are welcome to use any or all of these during your hire, but please return them in a clean condition to their original positions at the end of your hire.
Q. How many people can the hall hold?
A. For fire safety purposes, the maximum allowed capacity is 130 people.
Q. Does the hall have a Music Licence?
A. Yes, the hall has a PPL/PRS licence covering the performance and playing of both live and recorded music.
Q. Can I connect my phone/tablet/laptop to play music on the hall’s audio system?
A. Yes, as long as your device has one of the following types of port that you would use to connect wired headphones: Lightning (for Apple devices), USB-C (for more recent Android/Other mobile phones/tablets and more recent laptops), or 3.5mm phono (older non-Apple mobile phones and laptops). You cannot connect wirelessly. There is no extra fee, but please tick the Audio System option on the booking form if you wish to use this.
Q. Can I connect my laptop to show slides/photos/video using the hall’s projector and big screen?
A. Yes, but only if your laptop has an HDMI port. Please tick the Projection System option on the booking form if you wish to use this. There is no extra fee for this.
Q. Do you have any microphones that I can use for speeches etc.?
A. Yes, we have two handheld cordless microphones available to use. Please tick the Microphones option on the booking form if you wish to use them. There is no extra fee for this.
Q. Does the hall have off-street parking?
A. Yes, users of the hall can park for free in the hall’s own car park, which wraps around three sides of the hall, at the front, side and rear.
Q. Where do I collect the key from?
A. A member of the hall management committee will meet you at the hall at the start of your hire time. They will let you into the hall, provide a mandatory fire safety briefing, answer any questions you might have, and then hand over responsibility for the hall and its security to you for the duration of your hire. At the discretion of the hall committee, you will either be provided with a key and asked to lock up at the end of your hire, or the committee member will return at that time to lock up for you.
Q. Can I get into the hall before my booking time to set up?
A. Your booking time must include any time you need to set up. You will not be able to access the hall before the start time of your booking. Your booking time must also include time to clear up at the end of your hire. Please remember to allow enough time to remove any decorations, put away any furniture you may have used, and leave the hall in a clean and tidy condition.
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