HALL HIRE

1) Payment

1. Payment of a refundable deposit and a hire fee is required for all bookings.
2. The booking will not be confirmed until the deposit payment has been received.
3. Payments (for deposit and hire fees) must be received by us:
   1. No later than 14 days before the date of the event if paid in cash or by BACS transfer, or
   2. No later than 21 days before the date of the event if paid by cheque. Payments by cheque must be supported by a guarantee card.
4. If your booking is made at short notice (within 14 days of the event) we may require payment in cash.

2) Retention of Deposits

1. We may retain all or part of your deposit if we suffer losses or damage for which you are responsible. If our losses exceed the amount of your deposit, we may demand additional compensation.
2. We may retain all or part of your deposit if you fail to return keys within a reasonable time.

3) Cancellation

1. Cancellations should be notified to us at least 21 days in advance. If less than 21 days' notice of cancellation is given, any refund is entirely at the discretion of the management committee.
2. We reserve the right to cancel any booking in order to carry out essential repairs or maintenance; in this event any payments will be refunded.

4) Liability for Loss or Damage

1. You are responsible for any loss or damage suffered by Iron Aid Foundation Ltd as a consequence of your activities as a hirer. This includes (but is not restricted to) damage to the premises, car park, fixtures, fittings, furniture and equipment, call-out fees for false fire alarms, replacing locks and loss of income.
2. You are responsible for the actions of people you admit to the centre as part of your booking, or who gain access to the centre because you fail to control access properly.

5) Fire Precautions

(see separate fire and emergency procedures sheet)

1. You must read and comply with the fire notices posted throughout the building. A copy of the standard notice will be supplied to you on request. You should familiarise yourself with the fire alarm points in each room, the location of extinguishers and the available escape routes.
2. You must not prop any fire doors open, obstruct any fire doors or escape routes, damage any fire safety equipment, cause any dangerous accumulations of combustible materials to occur, or do anything likely to cause a fire risk.
3. In the event of a fire, your primary responsibility is to ensure the rapid and safe evacuation of you and your guests from the building.
4. If you know that a false alarm has been raised (for example, because a member of your group has accidentally triggered the alarm) you may cancel it by following the instructions by the alarm panel in the front lobby. You should only do this if you are certain that there is no fire.
5. You must contact us using one of the emergency numbers on the fire notices if there has been a fire alarm, even if it was a false alarm (the building may not be properly protected until we have completely re-set the system).
6. You must inform the office if any of the fire extinguishers has been used, whether deliberately or accidentally.

6) Security

1. You must not copy any keys loaned to you, nor pass on the door code to anyone else without our agreement.
2. You must not leave the front door open. You must tell members of your group to ring the door buzzer. You may attach a notice next to the buzzer.
3. When you leave, you must check that all members of your group have left the building, inform the premises manager and close all doors behind you.

7) Alcohol or Illegal Drugs

1. No sale, use or consumption of alcohol or intoxicating liquors with alcohol content is allowed in the Community Centre property, including the parking lot.
2. You must not allow illegal drugs on the premises.

8) Worship

No activities of a religious nature can be held on the premises, outside of those organised and approved by Iron Aid Foundation.

9) Noise

1. All bookings must end by 11pm. You must ensure that members of your group leave the premises quietly in the evening.
2. You must ensure that the fire escape doors into the car park are not left open or opened frequently if there is a noisy activity going on in the hall. Animated conversation can be loud enough to cause a nuisance to neighbours in the evening if doors are open.

10) Heating

1. The radiators in the halls are controlled by thermostats in a separate room (a separate thermostat for each hall).

11) Car Park

1. The car park is an escape route from the building. You must not obstruct any fire escape routes with vehicles or any other obstructions.
2. You must not let off fireworks or operate a barbeque in the car park.

12) Parking and Vehicle Access

1. Parking on the street is limited, but is generally controlled on neighbouring side streets.
2. You may bring a vehicle into the car park in order to unload or load equipment needed for your activity.
3. You must exercise extreme care when manoeuvring in this limited space.

13) Smoking

1. It is illegal to smoke in the building. It is a condition of hire that members of your group do not smoke in the car park. Smokers must go outside the premises.

14) Your Equipment and Decorations

1. You must obtain our agreement in advance if you intend to introduce any materials or equipment into the premises (including the car park) that might introduce a safety hazard, cleaning problems or inconvenience to other users; for example straw, hay, sawdust, flammable drapes, glues, paints or cooking equipment. We may refuse permission to introduce these items or impose additional conditions on your hire to mitigate hazards.
2. Smoke machines trigger our fire alarm system. You must not use smoke machines in the premises.
3. If you intend to introduce decorations or signs into the building, you must tell us about this.
4. You may only attach decorations as agreed by management and without damage to the decoration of the hall.
5. Any other decorations must use temporary fittings; for example 'BluTack' or masking tape, and you must remove them at the end of your booking.
6. You must not use permanent or semi-permanent fittings, for example nails, screws and staples. You must not use drawing pins for any purposes — they are easily lost and are dangerous to small children.
7. You must not attach anything to electrical wires, gas or water pipes, or electric, gas or water fittings.

15) Insurance

1. The centre is insured under Iron Aid Foundation's public liabilities. You may inspect our certificate of insurance on request.
2. We do not insure our users against risks resulting from the activities they undertake — it is your responsibility to insure against these risks.

16) Health & Safety

1. You must ensure that your activities, levels of supervision, working practices and equipment comply with current health and safety legislation and guidance.
2. You must take reasonable care at all times for the safety of yourself and all others who might be affected by your actions.
3. There is a defibrillator in case of emergency. Please always call 999.

17) Accidents

1. All accidents or near-accidents must be logged in the incident books available around the building and must be notified to the management so that we can try to prevent any re-occurrence.
2. There are first-aid boxes in the kitchen. You must notify the premises manager if you use any supplies so that we can re-stock.
3. If there is no member of staff available, you should post a note of the accident and/or use of first-aid supplies through the office door.

18) Afterwards

1. Furniture
   1. After use, furniture must be returned to its proper place. If you have used furniture from another room, it must be returned to its proper place in that room.
   2. You must observe any notices regarding the placement of furniture and how it should be stacked.
2. Cleaning and Tidying
   1. We clean the building overnight. You must ensure that the rooms you have used are left clean enough for the next hirer.
   2. Floors should be swept (and mopped if there were any spillages). Brooms, mops, buckets, dustpans, etc are kept next to the kitchen.
   3. All rubbish must be taken away, or put in bags and either taken home or left by the front wall in the car park if there is room. You must not pile rubbish up by the bin or outside by doors.
   4. You must check the toilets and clean them if necessary.
   5. If we have allowed you to store equipment on the premises, whether in a store room or elsewhere, you must ensure that it is stored safely and tidily so that it does not constitute a fire risk or any other hazard to anyone. You must remove stored equipment promptly when requested.