St Mary and All Saints, Goodshaw with St John, Crawshawbooth
Church Premises Letting Policy
1.1 The following document sets out the Lettings Policy in relation to the letting of the Church premises of St Mary and All Saints Church, Goodshaw. The premises include the Church building and the parish Room and all rooms which form part of those premises (“the premises”). This Policy document takes into account consideration of The Equality Act 2010.
1.2 A Premises Hiring Agreement, which is attached to and forms part of this Policy document (Schedule A), must be completed and signed in respect of every booking of the premises. The person signing the Premises Hiring Agreement shall be known as “the Hirer” and shall accept full responsibility for the due observance in all respects of the Terms and Conditions as set out in this Policy document. The Hirer must be a responsible adult over the age of 25.
2. Primary Intent
2.1 The Church of St Mary’s and All Saints is an important historical building, and a significant part of St Mary’s history and heritage. The Parochial Church Council (“PCC”) and its Officers have the responsibility for maintaining them for use and enjoyment by future generations.
2.2 The premises are primarily to be used for the hosting and promoting of activities that
Support the church’s vision.
2.3 A secondary function of the premises is to act as a resource to the wider Church other Christian organisations and the community, through Church activities, Church sponsored activities and suitable community activities which help to build bridges between the Church and the local community.
3. Letting Restrictions
3.1 Our attitude towards an application for the use of our premises is a positive one. We will seek to encourage appropriate organisations to use the premises for meetings and activities, where such meetings are complementary to the Church’s regular activities.
3.2 We will not, however, accept bookings for activities which are in conflict with the Christian gospel and the Church’s Vision Statement; which will prevent our regular activities from functioning in full or which promote any political party or opinion. The Church reserves the right to refuse requests for hire by groups or for activities which, in the opinion of the Church, are either contrary to the purposes and beliefs of the Church of England, or where the Church considers that such use or activities may cause offence, on grounds of their religion or belief, to a significant number of Christians. No acts of worship, other than Christian worship, are permitted on the premises.
3.3 The Church, Church Sanctuary and Chapel will be let only to other Christian organisations or for the purposes of concerts provided that use is consistent with St Mary’s values and beliefs.
3.4 Lettings will not interfere unduly with Church life. They will not normally be accepted if the premises are already booked for a Church event.
3.5 We will not normally hire out the premises for any parties which will involve large groups of teenagers or young adults between the ages of 14 – 21.
3.6 Out of respect to other users and our neighbours surrounding the premises, we expect all users to conduct themselves in a reasonable and courteous manner whilst on the premises, and when leaving the premises. Lettings will not normally be taken for events likely to create noise or other nuisance to neighbours, e.g. where a live band is involved.
3.7 All events are to finish by 11pm, with the premises to be empty by midnight. The premises will not be available to the Hirer before the beginning of the booking time, and must be vacated 15 minutes after the end of the booking.
4. Access and Security
4.1 St Mary’s does not employ a full-time caretaker; therefore, the Hirer is responsible for all setting up and putting away of any equipment used.
4.2 Any letting of the premises will require a responsible person to be present at the beginning and end of the letting period on each occasion that a letting is to take place to check that the facilities are in order. The premises must not be left unattended during the period of the booking.
4.3 If a key is provided, then this must be safeguarded at all times and returned to the Church Warden at the end of the letting period or as soon as is reasonably possible. The keys shall not be copied nor given or lent to any third party. If keys are provided, it is the Hirer’s responsibility to ensure that all fire doors and windows are closed, all doors locked and all lights switched off (including the toilets) at the end of the letting period.
4.4 The right is reserved for a representative of the PCC or their appointed officer to enter any part of the building at any time.
5. Health and Safety
5.1 Whilst ‘the church’ will take steps to ensure the premises are safe to use, it is the responsibility of the Hirer to ensure the safe conduct of their activity during the period of hire, including the presence of a suitably qualified First Aider if necessary. First Aid boxes are located as follows:
Parish Room: on the kitchen window sill.
Church Building: – Vestry.
Any accident involving personal injury must be reported to the Parish Administrator to be recorded in the Accident Book located in the Parish Room kitchen.
5.2 All entrances and exits must be kept clear at all times and the number of people attending must be declared at the time of booking to ensure that this does not exceed the maximum number allowed as follows:
St Mary and All Saints Church: 120
Parish Room: 42
The Hirer will be responsible for ensuring that Security, Fire and Health and Safety requirements are met.
5.3 There are no public telephones in the premises, therefore the Hirer must ensure that he/she has access to a mobile telephone in case of emergencies.
5.4 Any portable electrical appliance or device brought in from elsewhere and used on the premises must have an up-to-date safety certificate which must be made available for inspection upon request.
5.5 The Hirer is not permitted to bring in supplementary heating appliances.
6. General
6.1 There is disabled access to the rear of the church building, facing Goodshaw Lane and suitable toilets. The toilets have Baby Changing Facilities.
6.2 A strict No Smoking Policy applies to all rooms (including toilets) in all the premises.
6.3 Alcohol cannot be sold in the building. The Hirer is not permitted to apply for Occasional Licences for the sale of intoxicating liquor in the building.
6.4 Any advertising material must be submitted to the Parish Administrator for approval by the Incumbent and, if needed, the Standing Committee of the PCC. All such material must clearly display the name of the person or organisation responsible for the event.
6.5 Only guide dogs are permitted inside the building.
6.6 No adhesive or fixing material may be used which may damage the fabric of the premises.
6.7 Chewing gum is not allowed on the premises.
6.8 All rubbish must be taken from the premises by the Hirer. There are recycling bins and general refuse bins that can be used on the Goodshaw Lane side of the building. Please ensure general refuse is in a plastic bin bag. No food or drink must be deposited on the ground outside the premises or in the surrounding area.
7. Parking
7.1 Parking is restricted to roadside parking along Goodshaw Lane and the top of Goodshaw Avenue.
7.2 The parking bay outside Harvey Longworth Court should not be used for parking.
8. Responsibilities
8.1 The PCC will be responsible for providing facilities as agreed in good working order throughout the letting period.
8.2 The Hirer will be responsible for ensuring that all users are aware of the procedures for safe and correct use of equipment and facilities, and shall report any deficiencies on the occasion of each use.
8.3 The Hirer shall ensure that there is a responsible adult or adults present, who is able to supervise at all times during the letting. During the period of hire, the Hirer is responsible for the orderly behaviour of guests/members on the premises.
8.4 The Hirer must leave the premises in a clean and tidy condition. Losses, breakages and damage must be reported, and paid for in full. Hirers may re-arrange tables and chairs in the premises, but must restore them to their original places immediately at the end of the letting.
8.5 The Hirer agrees to indemnify the PCC against all claims, demands, actions, proceedings, damages, costs and expenses arising out of non-observance of the Terms of this Policy document.
9. Kitchen Use/ Refreshments
9.1 Use of the Kitchens in the premises must be separately approved. Kitchens may be used for the preparation of Tea/Coffee and refreshments by approved personnel and with the prior agreement of the Parish Administrator. It will be the responsibility of the Hirer to provide the refreshment materials unless agreed otherwise in the Premises Hiring Agreement. It is the responsibility of an external Hirer to ensure that any persons using the kitchens are aware of the requirements of the relevant Food Hygiene Regulations and Food Safety Act Codes of Practice. Particular attention should be paid to the cleanliness of the kitchen, kitchen utensils and crockery at the end of the letting. Any breakages must be reported immediately in writing and will be subject to an additional charge.
10. Insurance
10.1 It is the responsibility of the Hirer to affect whatever insurance he/she requires to cover his/her liabilities. Insurance effective by the PCC does not extend to a Hirer’s liabilities. The PCC accepts no liability for accidents, injuries, damage and/or loss of personal property as a consequence of using the premises.
11. Legal Requirements
11.1 The Hirer must comply with any legal requirement concerning music, singing and dancing licences, theatre licences and copyright. The Hirer shall be fully responsible for obtaining any such licences or any other permission required, always providing that no such application shall be made without the approval of the PCC.
11.2 Hirers must also have in mind the provisions of the Children’s Act at any event involving children, and proper Safeguarding Policies must be followed. Please read, sign and return a copy of the declaration concerning the PCC’s statement on safeguarding on the hire agreement form below. Events for persons under 18 years of age must at all times be properly supervised by an adequate number of responsible adults, in accordance with the Children’s Act.
11.3 The Hirer shall not use the premises for any other purpose than that specified in the Premises Hiring Agreement, and is specifically forbidden to use, or allow the use of the premises or its surrounding grounds for any illegal or immoral purpose.
12. Compliance
12.1 Failure by the Hirer to comply with any or all of the terms of this Policy document where applicable, whether intentionally or not, may be deemed by the PCC to be just cause for immediate cancellation of any letting or series of lettings and may result in forfeiture of the entire security deposit.
13. Administration
13.1 Bookings of the premises will be administered by the Parish Administrator. This includes the acceptance and declining of bookings in consultation with the Focal Leader or Church Warden and members of the Standing Committee of the PCC if necessary. The Focal Leader will act as final arbiter if required.
St Mary and All Saints Premises Hiring Agreement – Additional Information
Booking: Contact the Parish Administrator to make a booking or use the form that you can obtain on our website http://www.crawshawboothandgoodshawchurches.org.uk/. You will also find our Lettings Policy there too.
By Phone: Church wardens: 07870 566 325 or 07817 496 612
By email: stmarygoodshaw@yahoo.com
In person: St Mary and All Saints Church, Goodshaw, Goodshaw Lane, BB4 8HH
Any bookings made will be provisional until a complete Premises Hiring Agreement is completed.
Hirer's checklist:
We will need evidence of the following when you make your booking:
Proof of ID
Copy of your Child Protection Policy where applicable
Copy of your Public Liability Insurance
We have third party liability insurance that covers you if anything in the centre causes injury, but cannot accept liability for injury or loss that occurs through your activity.
Fire: Please ensure you know where all the exits are (marked in green signs) and of where fire appliances are located around the premises.
Hire Rates
We are keen to support gatherings that reflect our church vision statement, and so rather than asking for a specific fee we invite you to make an appropriate donation to help us sustain the costs of running the building (heating, lighting, cleaning and maintenance etc).
The use of the premises by external organisations however may be charged but could also be waived or reduced in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Incumbent and the Standing Committee of the PCC.
Any charges to external organisations will be set at a reasonable rate, below full commercial value, consistent with covering costs and providing a modest contribution to maintenance costs. It is suggested that a figure of £25 per hour, with a minimal booking of 2 hours, would be reasonable.
The schedule of Charges will be reviewed on an annual basis.
Payments may be made by cash, cheque (made payable to St Mary and All Saints, Goodshaw with St John, Crawshawbooth) or by direct bank transfer (BACS):
Name of account: St Mary and All Saints, Goodshaw with St John
Sort code: 090153 Account Number: 75875484
We are sorry but no debit or credit card payment facility is available.
Cancellations: If you do need to cancel please let us know as soon as possible so we can allow others the use of the centre.
What’s here: Parish Room Facilities & Equipment
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Parish Room: 7 large folding tables 36 adult chairs 7 small wooden tables (children size) 24 small children’s chairs Small children’s toys (on request) 7 |
Kitchen: 2 kettles Urn Large gas cooker Microwave Fridge Freezer Crockery & Cutlery (upon request)
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Premises Hiring Agreement between St Mary and All Saints Church, Goodshaw
and
Name (“The Hirer”)
Phone Number (Landline & or Mobile)
Email Address
Address
Purpose of Hire:
Date Required:
Time required: From To
(Remember to include preparation and clean-up time)
Number of people:
DECLARATION:
I have read and agree to abide by the conditions set out in the St Mary’s Church, Goodshaw, Lettings Policy.
Signed:
Date:
Signed:
Date:
Parish Administrator – for and on behalf of the PCC
SAFEGUARDING POLICY:
The Parochial Church Council of St Mary and All Saints Church, Goodshaw with St John, Crawshawbooth has a Policy for Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults. A copy is available to read at https://www.manchester.anglican.org/safeguarding/. Your booking agreement is conditional upon you complying with it unless you already have an equivalent policy of your own.
You are required to ensure that children, young people and vulnerable adults are protected at all times, by taking all reasonable steps to prevent injury, illness, loss or damage occurring; and that you carry full liability insurance for this. In particular this means that:
• you will comply with the attached good practice guide with children and young people or vulnerable adults unless you already have an equivalent;
• you will provide the church with a copy of your organisation’s Safeguarding Policy/ies or if you do not have one adopt the current parish policy;
• you will recruit safely all current paid and voluntary workers who work with children and/or vulnerable adults, by obtaining satisfactory disclosures from the Disclosure and Barring Service where eligible, and keeping records of dates and disclosure numbers indefinitely;
• you will keep a list of the names of all paid and voluntary workers with regular and direct contact with children/vulnerable adults, and update it annually;
• you will always have at least two leaders over the age of 18 years in any group of children and young people, no matter how small the group;
• no person under the age of 18 years will be left in charge of any children or young people of any age;
• no child or group of children or young people should be left unattended at any time;
• a register of children, young people or vulnerable adults attending the activity will be kept securely. This will include details of their name, contact details of parent/guardian/carer etc., date of birth and next of kin;
• you will immediately (within 24 hours) inform the Parish Safeguarding Officer of:
• (a) the occurrence of any incidents or allegations of abuse or causes of concern relating to members or leaders of your organisation, and contact details for the person in your organisation who is dealing with it
• (b) any known offenders against children or vulnerable adults seeking to join your membership, and manage such allegations or agreements with offenders in co-operation with statutory agencies, and with the church.
The Parish Safeguarding Officer for St Mary and All Saints Church is:
Name: Kerry Aitkin
Tel. No: 01706 215585 (via The Minister)
Declaration:
I agree to abide by appropriate safeguarding procedures.
I understand that my booking agreement may be terminated in the event of my failing to comply with these procedures.
Signed: Designation: Organisation:
Date:
Please sign two copies, one to be retained by the church (emailed back with this booking proforma), and one by the organisation.