Download Terms & Conditions for church or hall bookings

These Terms & Conditions must be agreed and complied with when hiring the following Parish churches: St Swithun’s Church Allington (including the hall), St Mary’s Church Bridport, St John’s Church West Bay, Holy Trinity Church Bothenhampton, Holy Trinity Church Bradpole, St Mary’s Church Walditch, all of which are part of THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF BRIDPORT (The PCC) registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Booking Terms & Conditions
Agreement	The PCC requires that this form is: · returned as an email attachment, via an authorised signatory’s email address, to the relevant Booking Manager (see separate CONTACTS & BACS INFORMATION sheet) · signed by an authorised signatory and posted to: Booking Manager, c/o The Rectory, 84 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NW. Bookings are not accepted without a signed form.
Cancellations	To cancel, contact the relevant Booking Manager, by email. Any refund will be at the discretion of The PCC.
Stewards for events in church	The PCC requires a qualified member of the church team (Steward) to be present for the entire booking, including the event itself and any rehearsal or period prior to the event. A Steward will give welcome information, including emergency and fire safety procedures at the start of each event. For some events, the PCC will also appoint Fire Stewards who will be in control of emergency and other exits from the church.
Timings	This booking agreement includes the hours for which the hirers have agreed to pay. Please include time for your audience to arrive and leave, and for any preparation and clearing up that you will need to do. Note: Bookings MUST end by 11pm and the premises cleared. Please limit noise levels as people leave.
Electrical Equipment	Any electrical equipment brought by the hirer into the church or hall must be fully BEAB and/or PAT safety tested and approved. The PCC takes no responsibility for any accident or damage caused by the hirer’s equipment. Power cables must be kept clear of aisles and walkways and must not cause any obstruction or put any person in the building at risk. (PAT = Portable Appliance Testing, BEAB = British Electrotechnical Approvals Board)
Health and Safety	Risk Assessment: You are required to carry out and document a risk assessment for your event.  This risk assessment should accompany your booking form and will be reviewed by the Parish Health and Safety Officer, prior to your event.  A template is provided. Accidents: In the case of a significant accident assess the situation and take appropriate action.  It is your responsibility then to contact the steward immediately.  The steward will have given you their contact details at the start of your hiring period. Subcontractors:  If you intend to hire a subcontractor, to install extra lighting, staging etc, it is your responsibility to check the RA and insurance cover for the contractor.  The responsibility for incidents and accidents involving any subcontractor lies with the hirer. During hours of darkness, the outside lights and all overhead nave lights must be switched on when there is public access, including rehearsal time.  These may be dimmed if wished during the performance.
First aid	A first aid box is available in the entrance hall which a steward can make available if needed. Church Stewards are not first aiders and cannot give first aid or use the supplies in the box. A wheelchair, for use in emergencies, is available in the disabled toilet.
Copyright	Taking photographs, live streaming and recording are not permitted at any event in the church, unless by prior arrangement with the relevant Booking Manager. For any event where copyright protected music is performed, there is a form which must be completed and returned to the Performing Rights Society. This is routine practice for concerts of any size. It is the responsibility of the hirer to fulfil these requirements; the church is functioning purely as a hired venue.
Seating, Fixtures and Fittings	In the church we have fixed seating, but you will need to bring your own people to arrange the performer’s seating before the event and to return it to its original position after the event. All furniture in the hall must be returned to its original position after the event. Nothing may be fixed to any part (wall, pillar, furnishing etc.) of the church of hall by nails, screws, adhesives, Blu-Tack, or any other means.
Toilet Facilities	Toilets are available only in St Swithun’s Church Allington & St Mary’s Church Bridport, both suitable for disabled people. The toilets must please be left clean and tidy.
Data protection	We will not share your information with other organisations, but we may use it to contact you in the future with information about hiring your chosen venue.
Personal Possessions and Insurance	The PCC will not be held responsible for any personal belongings or equipment belonging to hirers or the public. (It should be noted that the Church is open to the public during the day and is often visited by tour groups and individual tourists. The PCC advises that hirers take care of bags and other equipment.) Performers and organisers should ensure that their possessions are covered by their own insurance policies. The insurance policy held by the PCC does not extend to indemnifying groups hiring the premises. We therefore require hirers to confirm on the booking form that they have public liability cover for their activity on the premises. In addition, it is a requirement of our insurance cover that we hold a photocopy of your proof of insurance cover for the event, this must be sent into the relevant Booking Manager with this booking form. Some one-off events will be covered by the church insurance, and this can be discussed with the relevant Booking Manager.
Refreshments	If the venue has kitchen facilities, these are available for your use at rehearsals. If any kitchen area is used, it must be left clean and tidy. Food may be brought in for consumption by performers, provided no waste is left. Please take all recycling and rubbish home with you. Breakages will be charged. Only St Swithun’s Church Allington has an industrial model dishwasher and use of it must be negotiated with the Booking Manager in advance. You may not provide refreshments during the event, unless by prior arrangement with the relevant Booking Manager. If you plan to serve or distribute food from the venue, please refer to the Dorset Council’s website (www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk) for information regarding the requirements for food business registration.
Sale of Alcohol (Temporary Event Notice)	The PCC does not permit the sale of alcohol on church premises though you may, if wished, ask for donations. If you are organizing an event and want to serve alcohol, provide late night refreshment, or put on regulated entertainment, you may need to complete a Temporary Event Notice (TEN). It is your responsibility to obtain this. The guidance can be viewed at www.gov.uk
Parking	Off-street parking for 15 cars is available at St Swithun’s Church Allington, with an arrangement for overflow parking with a local firm at weekends (a board is displayed for this). Parking on the street or in local car parks are the choices at the other five churches. South Street Car Park is closest to St Mary’s Church Bridport.
Additional space	St Swithun’s Church Allington: has a separate hall as well as the church available for hire. Please make it clear if you intend to hire both. Hire of the hall is necessary if you require kitchen facilities. St Mary’s Church Bridport:  If you have a large group of performers, it may be more convenient to also hire St Mary’s Church House Hall via their website: https://stmaryschurchhousehall.org

Safeguarding Conditions

Your booking agreement is conditional upon you complying with The PCC’s Policy for Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults (copy attached). If you follow an equivalent policy of your own it must offer the same level of protection for vulnerable groups, and you must provide a copy of your policy to the relevant Booking Manager.

You must 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. This means:

• You will recruit all paid and voluntary workers who work with children and /or vulnerable adults safely, by obtaining satisfactory disclosures from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) where eligible and keeping records of dates and disclosure numbers.
• You will keep and maintain a list of the names of all paid and voluntary workers with regular and direct contact with children/vulnerable adults.
• You will ensure all data relating to paid and voluntary workers is held in compliance with the DPA (Data Protection Act) 2018 and UK GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
• 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 will be left in charge of a child of group of children 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 24hours) inform the Parish Safeguarding Officer if:
  • The occurrence of any incident or allegations of abuse or causes of concern relating to members or leaders of your organization, and contact details for the person in your organization who is dealing with it.
  • Any known offenders against children or vulnerable adults seeking to join your membership and manage such allegations or agreements with offenders in cooperation with statutory agencies, and with the church.

The PCC’s Parish Safeguarding Officer is Coral Hatton; phone number: 07900 984031