Terms & conditions
The terms that apply when hiring our community centre and booked spaces.
Booking Terms and Conditions
Please read these terms before your booking. These terms apply to all hired spaces at Picket Twenty Community Centre. The responsible hirer must be aged 21 or over and present throughout the hire period. Some items may affect cancellation fees, licensing, safety, and use of the building.
General terms
These terms apply to all hirers unless a later section says otherwise.
1. Responsible hirer The responsible person, known as the Hirer, must be aged 21 or over and must be present and in charge for the whole hire period. The Hirer is responsible for supervising everyone using the hired space, including parking arrangements, and must ensure attendees have left the hired space before leaving the Centre unless they are attending another event.
2. Room capacities The Hirer must not allow the maximum number of people per room, including organisers and performers, to exceed the limits below.
| Space | Layout / use | Maximum number |
|---|---|---|
| Main Hall | Standing or seated in rows | 150 |
| Main Hall | Seated at tables | 100 |
| Meeting Room 1 | Seated at tables | 15 |
| Meeting Room 2 / IT Suite | Laptop use | 6 |
| Multi-use Space / Bistro Area | Seated at tables | 30 |
| Entire venue | Total capacity | 200 |
3. Use of the space The Hirer may only use the hired space for the event or activity described in the hire agreement and must not use the premises for any unlawful purpose. Electricity and water should only be used as necessary. Hirers should avoid unnecessary waste and must take rubbish away with them. Use of the kitchen is not part of a standard booking unless agreed otherwise.
4. Leaving the space clean and tidy The Hirer is responsible for leaving the hired space and surrounding area clean and tidy. Any decorations added by the Hirer must be removed. Any contents temporarily moved must be returned to their usual positions. All electrical appliances must be turned off, except the fridge, unless instructed otherwise, and all taps must be turned off.
5. Cleaning, damage and additional charges The Hirer is responsible for leaving the hired space, kitchen, toilets, entrance areas, equipment and any surrounding areas used in a clean, tidy and undamaged condition. If additional cleaning, rubbish removal, repair, replacement, contractor attendance or staff time is required because of the booking, PTCA may charge the Hirer the reasonable costs incurred. PTCA will normally provide details of the issue and supporting evidence where available. Payment must be made within 30 days of the invoice date. PTCA may refuse future bookings until any outstanding charges have been paid.
6. Care of the building and equipment During the hire period, the Hirer is responsible for supervising the hired space, immediate surroundings, fixtures, fittings, and contents. No alterations or additions may be made, and nothing may be attached to walls or any other part of the building without express permission from the PTCA Committee. Care must be taken not to mark or permanently damage the floor with tables or other objects. Any damage must be reported immediately to a member of PTCA.
7. Items brought into the Centre PTCA is not responsible for loss of, or damage to, items brought into the Centre by the Hirer, guests, suppliers, contractors or any other person attending the booking, except where the loss or damage is caused by PTCA's negligence.
8. Liability and indemnity The Hirer is liable for, and will indemnify the PTCA Committee against, the cost of repairing any damage to the hired space or its contents, and against all claims made against the PTCA Committee arising from the Hirer’s use of the hired space.
9. Licences and alcohol The Hirer must ensure any licence required for the event or activity has been obtained and complied with, or is covered under the PTCA premises licence, which is available on request. If alcohol is to be supplied in any form, the Hirer must complete and comply with the PTCA Hiring Alcohol Agreement. Where alcohol will be consumed in the hired space, the Hirer must be present at all times. The hiring party agrees to take on all responsibilities under the Licensing Act 2003 and follow the Challenge 25 policy detailed in the PTCA Hiring Alcohol Agreement. Challenge 25 signs can be provided by PTCA.
10. Instructions from PTCA The Hirer must comply with instructions given by notices in the hired space and by any PTCA volunteer, member of staff or trustee.
11. Fire safety The Hirer must read and follow all notices relating to fire safety in the hired space and must ensure:
- all fire exits are unlocked and all escape routes are free from obstruction;
- all attendees are told where the fire assembly point is;
- no fire doors are wedged open;
- there are no obvious fire hazards on the premises;
- in the event of an evacuation, all attendees of the Hirer’s event are safely out of the building, unless doing so would compromise the safety of the Hirer or others.
12. Electrical equipment The Hirer is responsible for making sure any portable electrical equipment brought into and used at the Centre is safe, used safely, and complies with current Electricity at Work Regulations. The Hirer must also make sure any suppliers they hire, such as a DJ, have relevant up-to-date electrical checks for equipment they use in the hired space, public liability insurance, and any licences required for the hire.
13. Food preparation and kitchen use If preparing, serving, selling or providing food, the Hirer must comply with all relevant food safety and hygiene requirements. The Hirer is responsible for ensuring that food is stored, prepared, cooked, served and disposed of safely, and that any allergen information required by law is provided.
14. Accidents and injuries The Hirer must record any accident or injury, however slight, in a suitable manner and return this to the staff member or volunteer on duty.
15. Selling goods If selling goods at the hired space, the Hirer must comply with Fair Trading Laws and any code of practice used in connection with such sales.
16. No smoking or vaping Smoking is not allowed within the Centre or in the enclosed grounds accessible via the two sets of patio doors. This includes e-cigarettes and vaporisers.
17. Noise The Hirer must ensure that the minimum possible noise is made on arrival and departure, particularly late at night and early in the morning.
18. Safeguarding Where the booking involves children, young people or vulnerable adults, the Hirer is responsible for ensuring appropriate supervision, safeguarding arrangements and any required checks, policies or permissions are in place. PTCA is not responsible for the Hirer’s safeguarding arrangements, but may refuse or cancel a booking where it reasonably believes safeguarding requirements are not being met.
19. PTCA cancellation rights The PTCA Committee reserves the right to cancel a hire in the event of:
- the premises being required for use as a Polling Station for a Parliamentary or Local Government election or by-election;
- the PTCA Committee reasonably considering that the hire will lead to a breach of licensing conditions, other legal or statutory requirements, or that unlawful or unsuitable activities will take place as a result of the hire;
- the premises becoming unfit for the Hirer’s intended use;
- an emergency requiring use of the premises as a shelter for victims of flooding, snowstorm, fire, explosion, or those at risk of these or similar disasters.
In any such case, the Hirer will be entitled to a refund of any booking fee already paid, but the PTCA Committee will not be liable to the Hirer for any resulting direct or indirect loss or damages whatsoever.
20. Issues during the hire If the Hirer has or finds any issue during the hire session, this should be raised with a PTCA volunteer, staff member, or trustee as soon as practicable.
21. Right to refuse future bookings PTCA may refuse future bookings from a Hirer where previous bookings have resulted in unpaid charges, damage, excessive cleaning, complaints, misuse of the Centre or breach of these Terms and Conditions.
Regular hirers
These terms apply to regular hirers in addition to the general terms above.
22. Cancelling regular bookings At least one month’s notice is required to cancel a recurring booking in its entirety, and at least 24 hours’ notice is required to cancel a single session. PTCA reserves the right to charge where appropriate notice is not given.
23. Keys and security fobs Where keys and security fobs are supplied to a Hirer, the Hirer must not share them with other persons who are not part of their business. A charge will be made for replacement items.
24. Invoices Invoices will be raised at the end of each calendar month and are payable within 14 days.
One-off events
These terms apply to one-off events in addition to the general terms above.
25. Booking fee payment The full booking fee must be paid no later than 4 weeks before the hire date. If payment is not received by this date, PTCA may cancel the booking and re-hire the space. If you have difficulty settling an account, please email [email protected] as soon as possible to discuss.
26. Cancellation charges for one-off events If the Hirer for a one-off event wishes to cancel the booking, the following fee will be charged unless PTCA is able to replace the booking with another of equivalent value. Cancellation charges are intended to reflect the costs and loss of booking opportunity incurred by PTCA:
| Notice period | % booking fee charged |
|---|---|
| More than 14 days’ notice | 20% |
| Less than 14 days’ notice | 35% |
| Less than 7 days’ notice | 50% |
| Less than 24 hours’ notice | 100% |
27. Invoices for organisations Registered companies and charities may request an invoice for a one-off booking.
Hirer acknowledgement: By making or confirming a booking, the Hirer confirms that they have read, understood, and agree to follow these terms and conditions.