We are always pleased to hire out our churches and related rooms. Below are conditions of use which we require you to agree to.

These conditions are subject to change. We will inform you of any change made since the time of your booking.

1. General Policies
   1.1 Alcohol may only be brought onto and/or consumed on the premises with the permission of the vicar or churchwarden.
   
   The sale of alcohol (which includes the provision of alcohol in return for “donations”, or the inclusion of alcohol in the ticket price of an event) is only allowed if the hirer has obtained a TEN (Temporary Event Notice) Licence with the permission of the PCC or Churchwardens. There is a limit on the number of TENs which can be granted to any premises in a year. Therefore, if alcohol is to be sold by the hirer during the booking, the hirer must apply to the PCC or Churchwardens when booking the premises for permission to apply for a TEN. If permission is granted, then the hirer is responsible for applying to the Local Authority for a TEN for the sale of alcohol and for the cost thereof. A copy of the front sheet of the TEN is required for Parish records in advance of the Event. If alcohol is provided without charge, a TEN is not required.
   
   1.2 Smoking is not permitted in the buildings.
   
   1.3 No storage is available for external groups without express permission of the booking administrator.
   
   1.4 The churches have Public Liability Insurance and their own Property and Contents Insurance which cover all church-organised events. However, any group that meets regularly, has an organiser or a committee or its users pay fees, must have their own Public Liability Insurance that will cover damage to the church’s property and injury to its members/users. If you fall into this category you will need to arrange your own insurance and provide a copy with the booking.
   
   Regarding private hirers and occasional non-commercial use, such as weddings, birthday parties, social events and one-off events, these should provide their own insurance if it is required. Any third party hired for your event will need to be separately insured as will any “hazardous activities” or “hazardous equipment”. If you are in doubt, please do ask for clarification. We will ask you for confirmation that you have done this when you book.
   
   1.5 GDPR – Any hirers who collect personal data must ensure that it is kept in a safe place and not where it can be publicly viewed.
   
   1.6 Any electrical equipment brought onto the premises should be less than one year old, or PAT tested.
   
   1.7 If external caterers are used, copies of their public liability insurance and food and hygiene certificate should be provided.
   
   1.8 Any infringement of copyright law is your responsibility.
   
   1.9 We have a Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy in operation in the Parish. You are required to ensure that children and vulnerable adults are protected at all times by taking reasonable steps to prevent the occurrence of any injury, loss, damage or harm. The Diocese of Guildford provides safeguarding guidelines for all users where children up to 18 years old make use of the hall or rooms. You can find these at cofeguildford.org.uk.
   
   All regular hirers conducting children’s activities must have their own Children’s Protection Policy and must provide a copy with the booking. Anyone working with children and/or vulnerable adults should hold a current DBS. At no time must a child be left unsupervised.
   
   1.10 It is the hirer’s responsibility to ensure that all those attending are aware that they do so at their own risk. The parish does not accept responsibility for any accident, injury or loss of property during the period of the letting, in the building or the car park. Nor does the parish accept responsibility for any loss due to breakdown of machinery, failure of supply or electricity, repair work, leakage of water, Government restriction or Act of God which may cause the premises to be temporarily closed, or the event to be interrupted or cancelled.
   
   1.11 No animals are allowed on the premises except those trained to assist people with disabilities.
   
2. Occupancy
   
   St George’s:
   The hall (69m2) accommodates up to 125 people standing and the church (190 m2) up to 250. The larger of the two small rooms can accommodate up to 10 people standing, the smaller up to six. Please note that these numbers relate to people standing and you should take this into account if you are having a seated occasion.
   St John’s:
   The church (c. 20 x 14m with an additional 5 x 6m in the chancel) fits up to 350 people seated, the Sumner Room (c. 7 x 3.5 m) up to 20 seated, and The Ark (c. 5.5 x 4m) up to 15 seated.
   St Mark’s:
   The Community Centre which offers space of approximately 11 x 5m, can accommodate up to 50 people standing or 30 seated.; the church (20 x 9 m with an additional raised platform where around 5 x 4 m is accessible) can take up to 250 people standing or 150 seated in rows; and the office (4 x 3.75m) is suitable for up to three people.
   A calculator for numbers can be found here: https://www.banquettablespro.com/space-and-capacity-calculator.

3 Booking Policies
3.1 The hire of the rooms and churches is at the discretion of the PCC or churchwardens.
3.2 The aim and objectives of any group seeking to use our rooms must not conflict, or appear to conflict, with the Christian faith.
3.3 The PCC reserves the right to refuse any application for hire. With regard to commercial bookings, the PCC reserves the right to make enquiries into the standing of firms/persons requesting a hiring.
3.4 The PCC reserves the right to cancel any pre-booked activity if the hall or rooms are required for church use.
3.5 If you wish to cancel your booking, please do so by e-mail/’phone. If we receive your cancellation more than 14 days before the booking a full refund will be given. If you cancel within 7 days but more than 24 hours before the start of the booking, we reserve the right to charge 50% of your booking fee. If you do not inform us of a cancellation or cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice, full payment will be required.

4 Using the Hall and Rooms
4.1 St George’s and St Mark’s have limited parking. Please use this considerately. St John’s does not have its own car park but parking is available in the nearby layby on the Hale Road.
4.2 St Mark’s and St George’s can be accessed using a key in the key safe by the main church doors. There is a key safe for St John’s on the back of the noticeboard on to the left of the path. The codes for the safes are changed regularly and we will let you have the code for when you have paid to hire the spaces.
4.3 The rooms you have booked will be made available for the period you have specified on your initial booking, so please allow yourself time to prepare for, and tidy up after you event within these times.
4.4 If there are any queries about opening, call 07842 761919.
4.5 We do not employ a caretaker, therefore:
i) Please take all your rubbish home with you.
ii) When you leave please ensure that all lights are switched off and all taps / water-boiler are turned off.
iii) Please leave the rooms tidy, and laid out as they were when you arrived. Any items left behind may be disposed of.
iv) Please leave the rooms clean: a vacuum-cleaner is available in a cupboard in the larger back room at St George’s (please make sure cupboard door is fully closed or the light stays on), by the kitchen at St Mark’s and off the Sumner Room at St John’s.
v) If rooms are left in need of substantial cleaning, we may charge for cleaning.
4.6 You are responsible for any damage to the building or contents, and we reserve the right to charge you for any repairs or replacements which are necessary, following a letting. The hirer must not interfere with the fabric, fittings or contents of the premises in any way.
4.7 You must not touch, or put anything close to, the murals in St Mark’s.
4.8 You may not use any smoke-generating machines.
4.9 Please take away with you all recyclable and non-recyclable waste.
4.10 Please keep noise to a minimum and remember that these buildings are in residential neighbourhoods. Complaints about noise may result in you being unable to hire our spaces again.
4.11 You must not amplify music using any system other than that provided by the parish without express permission of the bookings administrator.
4.12 You must turn all music off by 11pm.
4.13 The buildings must be vacated and cleared by 11.30pm; please leave quietly and with consideration to our neighbours.

5 Kitchen Use
5.1 If you use the kitchen, you may use the church’s cutlery, crockery, water-boiler (St George’s and St Mark’s – there is a kettle at St John’s) and, in the case of St George’s, microwave and dishwasher.
5.2 Groups using the kitchen facilities must wash and dry up and put everything away. Please leave everything clean and tidy and let us know if there any breakages.
5.3 Instructions for the dishwasher at St George’s are on top of the machine.
5.4 All food and beverages must be provided by the user; please do not use any supplies in church cupboards.
5.5 Under-16s are not permitted in the kitchens.

First Aid and Emergency Information
5.1 A First Aid Kit is available in the kitchen at St George’s, the Sumner Room at St John’s and to the right of the kitchen hatch at St Mark’s. Please acquaint yourself with its location upon your arrival.
5.2 All accidents, occurrences and near-misses should be recorded in the accident book located in the entrance hall.
5.3 The buildings are fitted with smoke alarms. Always ensure that those attending an event know the location of their nearest fire exit. Large groups should organise a suitable number of stewards to assist in an emergency. It is your responsibility to know who is in your group and you should keep a record of those present at your event.
5.4 Fire doors should not be propped open and should be left closed at the end of the hire.
5.5 Fire extinguishers are provided for emergency use only. Any misuse will be charged for. Fire exits must be kept clear at all times.

Making a booking implies acceptance of these conditions.