1. Termination of Hire: All rubbish to be removed from the premises at the termination of hire unless previously agreed by the owner (see clause No: 27 of these conditions). Hirers not vacating the premises at termination of the contract or within reasonable time thereafter will be charged at the current hourly rate up to the actual time of vacation. In the case of any dispute as to the actual time of vacation, the owners’ decision shall be binding.
2. Conditions and Regulations: The Hirer must ensure that the terms and conditions of hire of the Memorial Hall are observed.  

Any booking that

1. exceeds 5 hours or
2. has over 100 attendees (including children) or
3. is a first time, one off private hirer, or
4. is not in our catchment of SS4, SS5 and SS6

will need to drop their hire to 5 hours, pay an extra first time hire deposit of £150 and provide 2 forms of ID; photographic ID, i.e. passport or driving license and a recent utility bill to the Bookings Manager/Chair/ViceChair. 

The owners reserve the right to refuse a booking. 

3. Applications: All Applications for Hire of the above Hall must be made Online.  The person or organisation on whose behalf the Booking is made shall be considered to be the Hirer and NO SUBLETTING will be allowed.

4. Booking Fee: A Booking and Damage Waiver Fee of £50, must be paid immediately when the booking is initially invoiced. The booking is not secured as yours until you do. For a Weekend hire - An additional £200 will be required 7 days before your hire including, if it is your first time with us and you are out if catchment, an extra £150.  These are refundable after the hire date and subsequent safe return of our hall. On receipt of payment the hire will be confirmed. The outstanding hire fee is to be paid at least ONE WEEK before the date of hire. In the case of BLOCK BOOKINGS the whole months hire is due ONE WEEK before the first of that month.

5. Booking Cancellations: The owner reserves the right to cancel any booking upon reasonable grounds and refund the amount of Fees paid, less any reasonable expenses incurred. SATURDAY BOOKINGS: If the Hirer cancels or postpones a booking less than six weeks before the date of hire the whole hire fee will be charged. - If the booking is cancelled six weeks or more before the date of hire, only 50% of the total hire fee will be charged. - If the Hall is subsequently re-booked 80% of the charge will be refunded. The owner reserves the right to refuse any booking without explanation. .
6.  Damage: Should the Building, or any Furniture, Apparatus, Equipment, or other articles belonging to the owner become damaged, lost or missing from any part of the hall or rooms following the hire of such hall or rooms, or should any additional expense be incurred by the owner in respect of extra wages etc. (in connection with clause No: 15 of these conditions) the Person or Organisation in whose name the hall or room was booked shall be responsible therefore, and the expense of making good or reimbursing the same shall be defrayed by such Person or Organisation. A sum of £50 for day booking or £250 for evening booking shall be lodged with the hall on making the booking.  This sum minus the cost of repair or cleaning shall be deducted from the deposit after the event.  Should the cost of the repair exceed the deposit the hirer or organisation whose name the hire was booked shall be responsible of making good.
7. Loss or Injury: The Trustees and their employees or agents will not in any circumstance be held responsible for Injury to persons (except in the case of negligence by the owner) or damage to, or loss of goods or property brought to the premises by The Hirer or persons attending any meeting or function therein, and The Hirer shall and does hereby indemnify the Trustees and their employees or agents against any claim which may be made upon them in respect thereof.
8. Safety: No Decorations, Flags, Emblems or loose articles of any kind may be fixed to the walls, floors, ceilings or fittings in any Public area without prior consent of the owner. There are clear hooks attached to the walls for decorations should you wish to use them. No inflammable material is to be used in the construction of display items, or in the making of performers’ costumes, or apparatus, and all materials to be used are to be treated and maintained in a Fire Resistant condition in accordance with current regulations. Fire Doors and doors fitted with automatic closures must not be fixed open or locked shut by the Hirer. Butane Gas must not be brought into the hall or rooms or left in doorways.
9. Contractors: Contractors and others employed by the Hirer to supply decorations, fittings or refreshments, etc., will be required to remove and clear all articles belonging to them by the end of the Hire period and to observe such reasonable instructions as may be given to them by or on behalf of the owner in connection therewith. All rubbish and waste material must be collected and removed from the premises by The Hirer, and the hall and rooms left in a clean and tidy condition at the termination of the hire.
10. Cloakroom: The owner will not accept any liability for Loss or damage in respect of articles left in the Cloakroom how so ever arising.
11. Electrical: No alteration or addition to lighting, loud speakers, microphones or any other electrical connections may be made without the express permission of the owner.
12. Outside Caterers: If Outside Caterers are being employed who propose to bring in additional catering equipment then the owner must be notified of the details twenty-eight days prior to the Hire date. The Caterer should have public liability cover of approximately £250,000 and a copy of this cover should be submitted for the owner’s approval at the time such notification is given.
13. Sale and Consumption of Intoxicants: Subject to licensing conditions (A Licence is required by the Hirer to sell Alcohol to the Public on all Occasions).
14. Entertainment’s after 11/11.45pm: No Entertainment is to continue after 11pm except with previous written consent of the owner, and subject to such additional fee as the owner may determine. Any additional expense incurred by the owner due to the LATE RUNNING of any function without consent of the owner shall be recoverable from the Hirer and shall be deducted from the SPECIAL DEPOSIT.
15. Car Parking: All Car Parks surrounding the Hall are owned by Rochford District Council and are subject to their Bye-Laws.
16. Entertainment Licence: The Hirer shall strictly observe and comply with all the conditions of the Music, Singing and Dancing and/or Stage Play Licence issued by the local Licensing Authority and held in respect of the premises.
17. Copyright: The Hirer shall not use the premises for the performance in public of any dramatic work or for the delivery of any Lecture in which Copyright subsists without consent of the owner of the Copyright.
18. Gratuities Etc. The Hirer is hereby advised that the owner will accept no liability or responsibility in respect of any Gratuity or other payment made directly to any of it’s employees or representatives other than payments made in accordance with their Terms and Conditions of Hire.
19. Right of Entry: The owner reserves the reasonable right of entry to the premises during the Hire period by its Officers or any other person duly authorised by the owner.
20. Complying to Conditions: In the event of a refusal by The Hirer to comply with these Conditions or any written instruction from the owner, The Hirer and The Hirer’s servants may be excluded from the premises, but without relieving The Hirer from his/her or it’s obligations in respect of the Hire charges as herein contained.
21. Complaints: Complaints by The Hirer relating to a booking should be made in writing to the Booking Secretary.
22. Amendments: The owner reserves the right to amend these Terms and Conditions of Hire without prior notice.
23. Prices and Fees: All Prices and Fees are subject to alteration by the owner without prior notification.
24. Helium Balloons: If Helium Balloons used by The Hirer at any function will need to be removed from the building at the end of Hire, any loose balloon will need to be retrieved by the hirer as they will set off the security alarms and could cause a fire hazard. Any damage by balloons left behind by the Person or Organisation in whose name the hall or room was booked shall be responsible therefore, and the expense of making good or reimbursing the same shall be defrayed by such Person or Organisation.
25. Rules and Regulations: To all Hirers using Ashingdon & East Hawkwell Memorial Hall on block bookings or private hire. You are advised to read this document in accordance with the Rules and Regulations set out in the conditions. To confirm you understand this document herein please tick the relevant box on the online booking form.
26. Entry Tickets: Any Hirer who intends to sell Entry Tickets to the general public must notify the owner SIX WEEKS before the event: as A SPECIAL LICENCE is required.
27. Cleaning: The Hirer shall, at the end of the Hire period, leave all the premises in a clean and tidy condition to the satisfaction of the owner or of the Caretaker working on behalf of the owner. This must be completed within your booked hire time. Hirers requiring Cleaning Facilities at the end of a Function need to advise the booking manager SIX weeks in advance.  Please Note: The Hall Cleaners are willing to do the Cleaning the following morning after a Function. The Charge for this Service is £50.00 per hour taken to clean and will be added to your booking invoice.  This amount will also be deducted from the Special Deposit of the Hall, if the Kitchen or any other room or rooms are left in an unsatisfactory condition, in the opinion to the Caretakers working on behalf of the owners, if no prior cleaning is booked. 
28. Loss of Tags: Should a Tag be lost or mislaid a new Tag plus programming lock will be charged to the Hirer at £30. 
29. Termination: The Owner has the right to terminate any Booking or Function without due notice or explanation. The Owner has the right to ask the Hirer to vacate the premises at any time.
30. Flutter Confetti: Prohibited from use as it stains the hall floor and is difficult and expensive to remove.
31. Pandemic Guidelines if required: Users will need to submit a risk assessment 2 weeks prior to using the hall on how they will safeguard persons invited to their function.
32. Bouncy Castles: If you use any bouncy castle and/or any other land-based inflatable, you must ensure that:

• You seek the permission of the trustee before hiring an inflatable for the hall
• Inflatables can only be used by upto and including 10 year olds
• access and use is controlled by an authorised adult employee/volunteer at all times
• each anchor point is signed, or otherwise marked to be made easily visible, and wrapped to prevent injury
• soft matting is used to cover hard surfaces adjacent to the front or any open sides where there is a risk of injury from falling from the inflatable

In addition, using bouncy castles can increase the risk of injury, particularly to children and others who may not be aware of the dangers.

Where you provide, or are responsible for, bouncy castles we expect you to take extra care to prevent injuries by making sure measures are put in place that help reduce this risk and our guidelines are:
• to follow the manufacturer’s or supplier’s safety recommendations
• requiring children to remove sharp articles like shoes, buckles or jewellery
• not allowing overcrowding, particularly by children (to help prevent knocking into each other)
• not allowing a mix of large and small children at the same time (to avoid larger children crushing the smaller ones)
• not allowing use by adults and children at the same time
• not allowing any access to the very youngest children, e.g. under 2 years old

33. Strictly No Stiletto Footwear

The main hall has a Maple Sprung Dance floor and unfortunately a stiletto heel cannot be worn on it as it will be damaged beyond repair. It is the hirers responsibility to ensure that anyone attending their function is not wearing them. Unfortunately if a hirer is found to have a guest in the hall with High Stiletto footwear on we will regrettably have to withhold your deposit.

Guests and hirers are to wear appropriate footwear  

34. Child’s Used Nappies : these are to be deposited in the nappy bin provided in the disabled toilet only. Failure to do so will result in the loss of the hirer’s deposit for relevant sanitary disposal. 

35. Sticky Tape : No Sticky tape can be used on the Main Hall floor for any reason. 

36.  Noise Limiting Device: Any Hirer or their agents by-passing the Noise Limiting Device fitted to the stage electrical circuits will face instant closure of the function without any refund of hire Fees or deposits. This device will stop excessive noise, which is for the benefit of local residents.