Terms & Conditions
Instructions & Terms of Hire
Please make sure you read the following instructions before using the hall as this is a legal requirement for all those who book the facilities. Please make sure your plans for using the building are agreed with the team to ensure they comply with all the rules to avoid any disruption for neighbours. Failure to follow our policy will lead to loss of deposit – amount at the discretion of the OCC Management Committee.
If you have further questions, please contact the Bookings Manager
Capacity
The hall can comfortably accommodate around 90 people seated in rows, or 70 if sitting at tables. We suggest that children’s parties should not exceed 20 children.
Setting Up & Clearing Up
An initial deposit of £100 is required to secure your date, or for parties of less than 40 its a £50 deposit. For weddings only a further £100 deposit is required with the event payment, no less than 28 days before your booking. All deposits will be returned in full after the event providing everything is in good order. Please leave the hall, servery, kitchen and toilets as you would like to find them. Any issues should be reported to the Bookings Manager as soon as possible.
- All events must finish promptly at 11pm and the building vacated when the caretaker will lock the hall. All guests to exit from front door.
- If you wish to book setting-up time the day before a minimum of 2 hours will be required from 6pm onwards.
- Clearing up can take place the following day and time for this should be included in the hire fee.
- Our cleaner comes in on a limited basis and therefore we trust that you will respect this and leave the hall as you found it. Cleaning equipment is in the vestry.
- If necessary, please use a DAMP mop and SOAPY water only on the floor.
- No material, decoration or other articles shall be fixed, glued, nailed or screwed to any wall, ceiling or furniture.
- You are required to pay for any damage as a result of ignoring this condition, along with any other wilful mistreatment or negligence.
Insurance
We hold Public Liability Insurance for The Old Chapel Centre itself but by signing the booking form you acknowledge that we have made you aware that you may wish to take out your own insurance policy if you deem it necessary to cover yourself against accidental damage to your own property or accidental injury to third parties arising from the event.
Cancellation
In the event of an emergency it may be necessary, at short notice, to ask the hirer to cancel or reschedule a hire period. The Old Chapel Centre reserves this right to do so but only with good cause or justification.
Deposits
The deposit will be refunded in full unless there is a deduction for damage /cleaning or excess noise and disruption causing complaints from neighbours or failure to follow our procedures. A cancellation fee may also be deducted from the deposit.
- If you cancel more than 6 months before the event a charge of 25% is levied.
- If you cancel between 3 and 6 months before the event 50% of the deposit is charged.
- If you cancel less than 3 months 75% of the deposit is charged.
- If you cancel less than 1 month 100% of the deposit is charged.
Doors
We suggest that you close the two inner doors between hall and vestibule to minimise noise disturbance, retain heat and avoid members of the public entering. There are two notices in the leaflet racks adjacent to each of the inner doors informing the public that a private event is underway and asking them to return later. Just turn them over to display the required text. You do not need to lock the outer doors, but you may wish to pull them to for the reasons mentioned above.
Locking & Unlocking
All events must finish promptly at 11pm will all guests out of the building by then, when the caretaker will lock the hall. The Old Chapel Centre is open during the day and locked overnight. Most bookings will not need a key as the hall will already be open. For those who have a longer booking, and/or are leaving valuables in the hall, a key is available on request and you will be asked to sign for this and pay a deposit of £10. After your booking, please return it to the Bookings Secretary.
- Under NO circumstances will the hirer duplicate any keys or allow them to be used by any person not approved by the Bookings Secretary.
- Gaining access to the toilets and disabled access is through the servery and kitchen. The code required to access these areas will be provided on the booking form.
- PLEASE NOTE THAT USERS MUST BE FAMILIAR WITH THIS CODE BEFORE USING THE HALL AS THE DOOR TO THE SERVERY MUST BE UNLOCKED TO ALLOW ACCESS TO THE FIRE EXIT AND DISABLED ACCESS.
- Enter the 6 digit code and turn the silver knob at the bottom pad to the right to open.
- From the servery you pass into the kitchen; the door between the kitchen and the lobby leading to the toilets must be unlocked on the kitchen side via a thumb screw.
- The door from the lobby to the main hall is also locked from the lobby side by means of a thumb screw and this must also be released.
- ALL DOORS MUST BE UNLOCKED WHEN THE BUILDING IS IN USE TO ALLOW ACCESS TO THE FIRE ESCAPE.
- Once the thumb screws have been released users can access the toilets, disabled access and fire escape directly from the main hall without going through the servery.
- PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALL LOCKED AT THE END OF YOUR BOOKING.
- When leaving the servery for the last time you must close the door, enter the 6 digit code and turn the bottom pad to the left to lock.
- The Vestry (the small store room on the left of the hall as you enter) is kept locked. You can find the key to this hanging in the left stairwell on a string behind the bars. In the Vestry you will find tables and other items. Please ensure this is locked again after use and the key returned to the stairwell.
- A member of the team will be there to lock the building at 11pm.
Tables & Chairs
There are 80 blue upholstered chairs which are stacked in piles of six on the left side of the pulpit, plus extra seating on the pews fixed around the perimeter of the hall. PLEASE MAKE SURE THE CHAIRS ARE RETURNED TO THIS POSITION AFTER YOUR EVENT.
There are 10 square folding tables, 3 rectangular tables and 4 long wooden trestle tables. These are kept in the Vestry (small store room) to the left of the entrance on entering the hall.
If you have used any of these tables, please ensure the tops are clean and they are returned and stacked neatly in the storage area.
A scale plan of the space, with dimensions, is available on request.
No tables and chairs should be used in the outside garden after 10pm.
Lighting
The switches for lighting are on the back wall to the left of the building as you enter.
The central chandelier can be dimmed by turning the white button to the left.
The square side lights are controlled from the switch to the right of the chandelier control.
The spot lights on each side are operated from the switch panel on the left
- 1 = back spots
- 2 = front spots
- 3 = back and front spots
- 4 = ALL spots
- 5 = ALL LIGHTS OFF
The dimmers can increase or decrease intensity of all lights except for the square side lights.
- Upper right dimmer — increases intensity of light
- Lower right dimmer – decreases intensity of light
Feel free to mix and match as you like but make sure you SWITCH ALL LIGHTS OFF WHEN YOU LEAVE BY PRESSING CONTROL 5 – THE LOWEST BUTTON ON THE BOTTOM LEFT OF THE LEFT HAND PANEL. There is also a switch for the wall light behind the pulpit which can be found to the right of the pulpit itself.
Candles
These are permitted providing
- There are no naked flames (candles or night lights must be in glass containers).
- There is always someone present in the building when candles are lit.
Fire Extinguishers & Fire Blanket
These are sited around the building, and near all exits. Please sure you familiarise those attending your event with fire safety procedures such as exit points.
Heating
The required heating time is selected by pressing the button marked BOOST repeatedly until the correct time is reached .
- The LED’s adjacent to the time markers will light up in the sequence. Select the time you require.
- Fifth push returns BOOST to zero (all LED’s out and heating OFF).
- Once the boost selected is underway the LED’s will go out sequentially indicated the approx boost time remaining.
- ON NO ACCOUNT MUST ANYONE TOUCH THE BOILER.
- If, for any reason the heating does not work, please contact the Booking Secretary.
If the weather is cold, we suggest that you turn it on at least 10 – 15 minutes before you wish to use the hall as it takes a few minutes to warm up.
Power Sockets
You will find sockets on the wall to the left of the stage, behind the wooden supports of the screen around the stage and on back of the pulpit screen. There are also sockets in the floor, near the columns. Lift the wooden covers and remember to gently replace them when you leave.
Music
We hold a license for you to play live or recorded music on the premises. In order not to offend our neighbours, we request that music is kept to a reasonable level and should finish at 11pm at the latest. Keeping inner and outer doors closed will considerably reduce noise levels and outside doors must be closed by 10pm when all guests should be inside the hall. If we receive any complaints about noise, we will ask you to turn it down or leave the hall immediately and forfeit your booking fee and deposit. The noise monitor must be visible and switched on at all times and if it turns red, the volume reduced.
Amplification & Sound System
There are two hand-held microphones which can be plugged into the centrally located black box in the cupboard to the left of the stage. Both microphones must be connected to the correct socket in order for them both to work. You can also connect your phone, i-pad or other appropriate device to this box in order to play music through our speakers. Please ask the Booking Secretary for further instructions if you wish to use any of these facilities.
Sale of Alcohol
There are no restrictions if you wish to provide alcohol to guests for free but The Old Chapel Centre is not licensed for the sale of alcohol. If you wish to sell alcohol you will need your own licence and we can direct you to the relevant licensing authority for this. No betting, gaming or lotteries are permitted on the premises. Any bar or drinks table must be set up inside the hall and not in the garden.
Gallery
This is only available for hirers to access for the purpose of photography or for a small number of musicians to use.
The padlock on the gate at the foot of each stair is just behind the wooden partition. PLEASE LOCK IT AGAIN WHEN YOU LEAVE
Servery
The following are available for your use. There are approximately 70 settings but PLEASE CHECK EXACT NUMBERS BEFORE USING:
- Large plates.
- Small plates.
- Cups & saucers.
- Miscellaneous jugs, bowls etc.
- Cutlery.
- Kettle & urn.
- Tea towels.
If used, please wash, dry and place them back where you found them.
Please note we do not have wine or beer glasses so suggest that these are hired as required.
Rubbish
Please take away ALL your rubbish, and items which can be re-cycled for disposal elsewhere. Extra sacs for the kitchen swing bin are available in the kitchen drawers.
Cookers & other Kitchen Equipment
The kitchen has a 4-ring gas hob, electric oven, microwave, fridge, sink with drainer and hand wash basin. Please make sure all electrical items, EXCEPT FOR THE FRIDGE, are switched off when you leave.
Hot Water for Washing Up
There is an at-source water heater over the sink which should be switched on 10 minutes before you need to use it. PLEASE SWITCH OFF AFTER USE.
Wall Fan Heater
This can be selected for 15 minutes upwards and repeatedly pressing the button will take you through the cycle including OFF.
Toilets
An ordinary toilet and a disabled toilet are directly accessible from the main hall. The hot water is switched on and off automatically by waving a hand in front of the censor. The lights are also controlled by a censor.
Garden
The garden can be used by anyone hiring The Old Chapel Centre. Please do not take chairs or tables outside. There are some green plastic chairs and a round garden table just outside the door leading onto the patio. The garden can be enjoyed until 10pm when guests must then be inside to avoid disruption to immediate neighbours who back onto our garden.
A-Boards
We have two A-boards which are kept in the storage area located on the left at the back of the hall as you face the stage. You are welcome to place your own poster behind the Perspex covers. (Each side of the frame acts like a big clip which clicks open and closed to secure the Perspex and poster).
An A-board can be left outside The Old Chapel Centre, providing it is off the main footway. It can also be left in the village square (DURING THE DAY OF YOUR EVENT AND ONLY WITH PERMISSION FROM ALFRISTON PARISH COUNCIL). To arrange this, please contact the clerk via clerk@alfristonparishcouncil.org.uk at least a month before your booking.
Parking
There is strictly no parking in the turning circle outside the chapel – this is for drop-off only. There is a private car park for users of The Old Chapel Centre which is accessed behind the building, via River Lane and River Bank. This can only accommodate a limited number of vehicles (4-5 depending on size) so we recommend that this space is restricted for specific users such as caterers, photographers and guests with restricted mobility.