Terms & Conditions of Hire

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1 - Payments

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a) Occasional bookings, such as hiring the Main Hall for parties, will not be confirmed until at least half the full booking fee has been received.

b) Occasional hirers, such as those hiring the Main Hall for parties, will need to pay the full cost at least fourteen days before the day of the event (or at the time of booking if the booking is made less than fourteen days beforehand).

c) A £350 indemnity deposit is required for all party bookings. All or part of this deposit may be retained if hirers fail to comply with ANY of the following expectations contained within Clauses 1-15. Your deposit, minus any penalty charges or deductions, will be returned 7-10 days after the event.

 

d) In addition, a minimum penalty charge of £50 will be levied for any violations.​

 

e) Regular hirers will be invoiced monthly in arrears.

f) Payments can be made via:

1. Bank transfers (please give the invoice number, or the date of party with your surname, as the reference)

2. Cheques payable to The Parochial Church Council of St Peter in the Forest

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2 - Agreed Facilities and Times

 

a) Hirers should only use the room(s) allotted to them. Unauthorised use of other rooms will result in a penalty charge of £50 in addition to the advertised cost of the rooms used.

b) Hirer should not enter the room(s) booked before the start of their booking slot, or remain there after the end of their booking slot. Overrunning or arriving early will result in an additional penalty charge (£50), plus the advertised cost of the additional time.

c) Booking for Therapy Rooms during peak times [after 5.00pm, weekdays] should start on the hour and be for a multiple of whole hours.

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3 - Cancellations and Alterations

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a) Cancellations made more than fourteen days before the date of the event will incur an administration fee of 10% of the total cost of booking.

b) Cancellations made between seven and fourteen days before the date of the event will be liable to a charge of 50% of the total cost of booking.

c) Cancellations made less than seven days before the date of the event will be liable to a charge of 100% of the total cost of booking.

d) Any major alterations will incur an administration fee of 10% of the total cost of booking.

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e) We may need to cancel your booking unexpectedly and at short notice. The circumstances may be varied and may include, but are not limited to, the following: essential repairs or maintenance, new legislation or measures around COVID-19 or other major public health events, acts of God, legal requirements, public emergencies or any other circumstances beyond our control which amount to circumstances of force majeure. Additionally, we may need to cancel your booking on instructions or advice from organisations including (but not limited to) the Diocese of Chelmsford, the London Borough of Waltham Forest, or any of the emergency services. We will do our best to give as much advance notice as possible and will offer a full refund as standard. Where we are able, we may be able to offer an alternate booking.

 

f) In the event of a cancellation and refund, you may still be left out of pocket. For this reason, we recommend that all users insure their hire.

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4 - Liability for Loss or Damage

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a) Hirers are responsible for any loss or damage suffered by the Peterhouse Church & Community Centre because of their activities as a hirer. This includes (but is not restricted to) damage to the premises, fixtures, fittings, furniture and equipment, call-out fees for false fire alarms, and loss of income.

b) Hirers are responsible for the actions of people that they admit to the centre as part of their booking, or who gain access to the centre because hirers fail to control access properly. This includes:

1. Person(s) waiting in the Reception area for clients attending therapy sessions.

2. Person(s) waiting in the Coffee Bar area for children attending an activity or event in the Main Hall or other area.

3. Person(s) attending their function/Party

 

 

5 - Access, Key Cards and Security

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a) Access may be granted by:

1. A member of staff or volunteer, who is present on site at the start of a booking slot, opening the building to hirers.

2. The provision of a temporary access card, which can either be collected from Reception before the day of the booking, or from the Sentinel push button key safe outside of the front building on the day of the booking and returned. (The latter option will require a code; this code, which is changed regularly, should be kept confidential).

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b) There will be a £50 charge for any access card that is lost or damaged.

c) Hirers should not copy any access cards or key(s) loaned to them, nor pass on any codes to anyone else without permission.

d) DO NOT leave the front and back doors open and unattended. Hirers should tell members of their group to ring the door buzzer for the room. A notice may be temporarily attached to the front door explaining how to use the buzzers. There is a door control phone in each room so hirers can admit members of their group conveniently without having to go to the front door. The main entrance door should be kept closed unless loading and unloading.

e) When leaving, hirers should check that all members of their group have left the building, lights are off and that all doors and windows are closed and, if applicable, locked.

 

f) Access card(s) should be returned promptly or left in the key safe after your hire.

 

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6 - Your Equipment and Decorations

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a) Hirers should obtain agreement in advance if they intend to introduce any materials or equipment into the premises (including the garden) 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. Permission may be refused to introduce these items or additional conditions may be imposed to mitigate hazards.

b) Hirers may attach decorations to the hook fittings in the Main Hall.

c) Hirers may attach decorations to walls, doors, windows or tables with temporary fittings such as Blue tac or masking tape. Hirers should not use permanent or semi-permanent fittings, for example, nails, screws and staples, Sellotape or foam sticky fixings. Drawing pins should not be used for any purposes – they are easily lost and are dangerous to small children. You will be charged to make good any damage to the fabric of the building through use of fixtures and fittings, including where sticky tapes and tacs have damaged paintwork.

d) Hirers should not attach anything to electrical, gas or water fittings.

e) Hirers should avoid letting balloons float up to the ceiling in the Main Hall.

f) Hirers must not use smoke machines in the building, as they trigger the fire alarm system.

g) Hirers should not let off fireworks.

h) Confetti should not be used unless hirers are willing to clear it up afterwards.

 

i) Please leave the space as you found it.

 

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7 - Alcohol, Illegal Drugs and Smoking

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a) The consumption of alcohol is not permitted on the premises, or in the grounds unless agreed in advance by Peterhouse Staff.

b) The possession and/or the consumption of illegal drugs is not permitted on the premises, or in the grounds.

c) It is illegal to smoke in the building. Smoking in the garden, or any other part of the grounds, is also not permitted.

 

 

8 - Fire Precautions

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a) Hirers should read and comply with the fire notices posted throughout the building. A copy of the standard notice will be supplied on request. Hirers should familiarise themselves with the fire alarm points in each room, the location of extinguishers and the available escape routes.

b) Hirers should 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.

c) In the event of a fire, hirers’ primary responsibility is to ensure the rapid and safe evacuation of the building.

d) If hirers know that a false alarm has been raised (for example, because a member of their group has accidentally triggered the alarm) the alarm may be cancelled by following the instructions by the alarm panel in the bar area. The hirer should only do this if they are certain that there is no fire.

e) If there has been a fire alarm, hirers should contact the Duty Manager, the Vicar, or one of the Churchwardens using one of the emergency numbers on the fire notices. This applies even if it was a false alarm, as the building may not be properly protected until the system has been completely re-set.

f) If any of the fire extinguishers has been used, whether deliberately or accidentally, hirers should inform the Duty Manager, the Vicar, or one of the Churchwardens using one of the emergency numbers on the fire notices.

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9 - Fire Escape Routes and Assembly Point

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a) From the reception area, there are two fire escape routes.

1. Through the porch and out of the front entrance.

2. Into the back corridor and out of the back entrance.

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b) From the Coffee Bar area, there are two fire escape routes.

1. Through the porch and out of the front entrance.

2. Through the stairwell and out of the side entrance.

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c) From the Main Hall, there are two fire escape routes.

1. Out of any of the three doors into the garden.

2. Through the Coffee Bar area and the porch and out of the front entrance.

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d) From the Main Kitchen and the corridor leading to it, there are two fire escape routes.

1. Through the Main Hall and out of any of the three doors into the garden.

2. Through the Coffee Bar area and the porch and out of the front entrance.

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e) From the main toilets, there are two fire escape routes.

1. Through the stairwell and out of the side entrance.

2. Through the stairwell, the Coffee Bar area and the porch and out of the front entrance.

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f) From the Parish Office, and the Cherry, Chestnut, Hawthorn Holly and Rowan rooms, there are two fire escape routes.

1. Out of the back entrance.

2. Through the reception area and the porch, and out of the front entrance.

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g) From all the upstairs rooms (Beech, Hornbeam, Oak, Poplar and Willow), there is one fire escape route.

1. Down the stairs and out of the side door.

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h) The assembly point is the grass on the opposite side of the road on Forest Rise

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i) In the event of fire, the lift should not be used.

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10 - Noise

 

a) Unless otherwise agreed, all events should end by 19.30, with hirers vacating the premises no later than 20.00 having cleaned up after their booking. If users are leaving late in the evening, they should be considerate of the neighbours and keep noise levels down.

b) All noise during bookings, including music, should be kept within the level set by the local authority, details of which can be obtained from the Environmental Health Department of the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

c) If there is a noisy activity going on in the Main Hall, especially in the evening, the fire escape doors into the garden should be kept shut.

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11 - Parking and Vehicle Access

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a) The car park is small, with limited spaces. Cars should be parked in the bays provided. At busy times during the week, the car park may be restricted to named users. If you or members of your party do park here, please ensure that all leave a phone number on their dashboard so issues of double parking can be resolved quickly and easily if they do arise.

b) Other cars should be parked considerately in adjacent roads, Not on Double Yellow Lines. Please note: from 10.00am - 4.00pm on Monday to Friday, Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) are in operation in adjacent roads; on-street parking is only possible with a parking permit. (For more details on CPZs and parking permits, see details on the London Borough of Waltham Forest website).

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12 - Insurance

 

a) Peterhouse Church & Community Centre has public liability insurance.

b) Users are not insured against risks resulting from the activities they undertake – it is the hirers’ responsibility to insure against these risks.

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13 - Health & Safety

 

a) Hirers should ensure that their activities, levels of supervision, working practices and equipment comply with current health and safety legislation and guidance.

b) Hirers (and other users) should always take reasonable care for the safety of themselves and all others who might be affected by their actions.

c) Hirers are responsible for all aspects of safeguarding. Hirers may be required to show evidence of adherence to safeguarding procedures before being allowed to hire rooms.

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14 - Accidents

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a) All accidents or near-accidents should be notified to a member of staff or volunteer, so that re-occurrences can be prevented.

b) There is a first-aid box in the Main Kitchen next to the microwave and in the Coffee Bar area next to the sink. Hirers should notify a member of staff or volunteer if they use any supplies, so that they can be restocked.

c) If there is no member of staff or volunteer available, hirers should send details of the accident and/or use of first-aid supplies to the general email account.

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15 - Afterwards

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a) Furniture

1. Furniture should be returned to its proper place.

2. In the Main Hall, tables should be cleaned, folded and stacked in the cupboard. Chairs should be stacked neatly in piles not exceeding 10 chairs also in the cupboard..

3. In the Hornbeam Room, tables should be cleaned, folded and stacked against the wall. Chairs should be stacked neatly in piles not exceeding 10 chairs.

4. If furniture has been borrowed from another room, it should be returned to its proper place in that room.

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b) Cleaning and Tidying

1. Hirers should ensure that the rooms they have used are left clean enough for the next users.

2. Floors should be swept or hoovered (and mopped if there were any spillages). Brooms, mops, buckets, dustpans, etc are available (stored in the cupboard in the Hall, and in the boiler cupboard in the Hornbeam Room).

3. If crockery and cutlery has been used, it should be washed up and replaced in the cupboards and drawers, or put in the dishwashers and turned on.

4. Please note there are no sharp knives.

5. Hirers should check the toilets and clean them if necessary.

6. All internal and external spaces should be left as you found them.

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c) Rubbish

1. Rubbish, recyclables and food/garden waste should be separated and put into the correct receptacle.

2. If the Main Hall is hired for a party, and there is no space in the main bins, rubbish will need to be taken away. Rubbish should not be piled up by the main bins.

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d) Storage

1. If the hirer has been allowed to store equipment on the premises, whether in a storeroom or elsewhere, they must ensure that it is stored safely and tidily so that it does not constitute a fire risk or any other hazard to anyone. Stored equipment should be removed or relocated promptly when requested.

 

 

16 - Complaints

 

a) We want everyone to have a enjoyable time using the Peterhouse Centre and Church Building.

1. Please direct any complaints to office@stpeterintheforest.org and we will deal with them as quickly as we can. We aim to deal with all complaints within seven days, but this may take longer if we need to investigate any matters arising.

2. Please treat our staff with respect. We understand having a complaint can be upsetting, but we deal with these as efficiently and as quickly as possible.

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b) It is never appropriate to act in an abusive or intimidatory manner to members of staff, volunteers, other hirers, users of our premises, or members of the public. If you are found to have acted in an abusive manner, you may be asked to leave the premises immediately, your booking may be cancelled (with or without a refund), and you may be banned from future hire or use of our facilities, or attendance at our activities and events.

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