Thornbury & District Community Association
The TDCA is committed to providing an ongoing service, and to maintaining the facilities within The Chantry for the benefit of the communities of Thornbury and the surrounding districts.
The goal is to make The Chantry a place where individuals and groups gather together to enjoy and participate in social and recreational activities and life-long learning.
Thornbury & District Community Association, a registered charity, began in 1964 using various premises in the High Street, the Cosham Hall, school halls and many of the committee members' homes for meeting places. Thornbury was then rapidly expanding and had only a few facilities for social and recreational use. The need for a dedicated Centre was an early clear goal of the fledgling organisation.
In 1966, The Chantry was purchased by the Association, as the community centre for Thornbury. The house is now the Association's home, maintained and improved through the efforts of its members and volunteers.
The Association is governed by volunteer Trustees and run by a team of part-time paid staff. The Association owns The Chantry and runs it as a Community Centre for the benefit of the residents of Thornbury and the surrounding area. We are located within easy access to both the M4 and M5 motorways.
Trustees - 2018/19
Chair - Christine Carter
Treasurer - Dave Derham
Vice Chair - Kate Taylor
Trustees:
Roger Howell (representing Religious Society of Friends)
Rob Mills (representing the Model Railway Club)
Mike Davis
Stan Goodwin (Representing Radio Club)
Rex Lanley
Staff
Facilities Coordinator - Debbie Burch
Facilities Administrators - Sally Hall
Caretaking Staff - John Baird, Mark Norman
Cleaning Staff - Mandy Frost
The Association has one Member group:
These are an integral part of the Association and has long standing links with the Association. The Chess Club, who left the Association this year were among the inaugural groups that formed at TDCA in 1963.
General Rules and Hiring Conditions Governing the Use of
Thornbury & District Community Association (TDCA)
The TDCA is a registered charity governed by volunteer Trustees and run by part-time paid staff. The management of the community centre is vested in the Management Committee of the Community Association, whose powers and composition are defined in the constitution, a copy of which may be obtained from The Chantry office. Under the provisions of the constitution, the Management Committee is empowered to make rules or to withdraw or amend them.
1. Use of centre
Use of the community centre and its facilities is subject to the following rules and hiring conditions.
2. Equal opportunities
The community centre is open to all members of the community regardless of sex, sexual orientation, nationality, age, disability, race, or of political, religious or other opinions.
3. Hours of opening
Facilities at The Chantry are normally available for use between the hours of 08:00 and 22:00 every day. In exceptional cases, these hours may be extended on application to the Management Committee.
The Chantry Office is generally open between 09:00 to 12:30 each weekday morning, these hours are reduced in School Holiday periods.
4. Applying to use the centre
5. Hire Charges
Hire charges vary depending on size of room, time of day, type of organisation making the booking or if used for private functions.A minimum hiring period is also applicable. Please enquire at the office or on our website for full details.
6. Cancellation by the Hirer
If a Hirer wishes to cancel the booking before the date of the booking, ten working days notice is required to cancel without charge otherwise the booking will be charged in full.
If the Hirer chooses not to use a booking due to adverse weather conditions, ie, snow, the room hire charge will still be payable, unless the Association have decided to close the building.
7. Cancellation by the Association
All arrangements for the use of centre facilities are subject to the Association reserving the right to cancel bookings in the event of:
A charge will not be made in these circumstances.
8. Maximum capacity
Each room has a maximum capacity of seated attendees and on no account shall these figures be exceeded.
9. General Safety requirements
All conditions attached to the granting of the centres Premises Licence or other licences shall be strictly observed. Nothing shall be done which will endanger the users of the building, or invalidate the policies of insurance relating to it and to its contents. In particular:
10. Fire Safety Requirements
The Hirer or person/s in charge must familiarise themselves with the emergency evacuation procedure and fire safety requirements. At the start of each hire period they must:
11. Indemnity/Insurance
Thornbury & District Community Association is only insured against any claims arising out of its own negligence.
The Hirer shall be liable for:
(i) the cost of repair of any damage done to any part of the premises including the curtilage thereof (land within the boundaries of the premises) or the contents of the premises;
(ii) all claims, losses, damages and costs in respect of damage or loss of property or injury to persons arising as a result of the use of the premises, cartilage or contents (including the storage of equipment) by the Hirer; and
(iii) all claims, losses, damages and costs suffered or incurred as a result of any nuisance caused to a third party as a result of the use of the premises, curtilage or contents by the Hirer.
It will be the Hirer's responsibility to take out adequate insurance to cover the Hirers liability.
12. Supervision
The hirer or person in charge of an activity shall not be under 18 years of age and shall be on the premises for the entire period of hire or duration of the activity. S/he shall not be engaged in any duties which prevent him/her from exercising general supervision. Separate rules apply to functions predominantly in the teen to 21 year old age range - please advise the Chantry office.
The Hirer shall, during the period of the hiring, be responsible for -
As directed by the Association, the Hirer shall make good or pay for all damage (including accidental damage) to the premises or to the fixtures, fittings or contents and for loss of contents.
13. Safety of vulnerable people
The Hirer shall ensure that any activities for children under eight years of age comply with the provisions of The Children Act of 1989 and subsequent legislation, and that only fit and proper persons who have passed the appropriate Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks have access to the children. Checks may also apply where children over eight and vulnerable adults are taking part in activities. The Hirer shall provide the Association with a copy of their CRB Check and Child Protection Policy on request. The Management Committee reserves the right to exclude from the premises any organisation that fails to comply with this requirement.
14. Supply of food and drink
The Hirer shall, if preparing, serving or selling food, observe all relevant food health and hygiene legislation and regulations - such persons at all times shall observe the Code of Conduct displayed in the kitchen. Please note:
The Hirer shall, if selling goods on the premises, comply with Fair Trading laws and any code of practice used in connection with such sales. In particular, the Hirer shall ensure that the total prices of all goods and services are prominently displayed, as shall be the organiser's name and address, and that any discounts offered are based only on Manufacturers Recommended Retail Prices.
No intoxicating liquors are permitted to be bought on to, sold or consumed on any part of the premises without the express permission in writing of the Management Committee. The Chantry has its own Social Club and bar which can provide alcohol as required. At times when the bar is open it is not permitted to bring in soft drinks - all drink to be purchased through the bar.
17. Drunk & Disorderly Behaviour
The Association Social Club and the Hirer shall ensure that in order to avoid disturbing neighbours and to avoid violent or criminal behaviour, care shall be taken to avoid excessive consumption of alcohol. Drunk and disorderly behaviour shall not be permitted either on the premises or in its immediate vicinity. Alcohol shall not be served to any person suspected of being drunk nor to any person suspected of being under the age of 18. Any person suspected of being drunk, under the influence of drugs or who is behaving in a violent or disorderly way shall be asked to leave the premises. No illegal drugs may be brought onto the premises.
18. Music
The following conditions are applicable to the playing of any type of music:
19. Music Licences
Music played for private functions are exempt from any licence requirements. Private functions are such as wedding receptions, birthday and anniversary parties. If members of the public are in attendance the following licensing requirements need to be met:
If other licences are required in respect of any activity in the premises, the Hirer should ensure that they hold the relevant licence or the Association holds it.
The Hirer shall ensure that nothing is done on or in relation to the premises in contravention of the law relating to betting, gaming and lotteries, and the persons or hirer responsible for functions held in the centre premises shall ensure that the requirements of the relevant legislation are strictly observed.
The Chantry Office must be given at least two months notice of any event that is not licensed by the Association Premises Licence. The licence is displayed on the premises.
The permission of the Management Committee must be obtained before goods or equipment are left or stored at the community centre, except that the Office staff are authorised to grant permission for the overnight storage of goods and equipment brought to the centre for a particular function or event.
The Association accepts no responsibility for any stored equipment or other property brought onto or left at the premises, and all liability for loss of damage is hereby excluded.
The Association cannot accept responsibility for damage to, or the loss or theft of, centre users property and effects.
Parking is available on site for approx 25 cars. Cars shall be parked in the bays provided and should not be parked so as to cause an obstruction at the entrance to, or exits from, the centre.Users of the centre should avoid undue noise on arrival and departure. There is one disabled parking bay. There is no reserved parking – parking is on a first come, first served basis.
The Hirer shall ensure that the minimum of noise is made on arrival and departure, and is responsible for ensuring that the noise level during their hire is not such as to interfere with other activities within the building nor to cause inconvenience for the occupiers of nearby houses and property.
26. Cleaning and security
All use of centre premises and facilities is subject to the users accepting responsibility for returning furniture and equipment to their original position, and for securing doors and windows of the premises as directed by the Chantry Office at the end of the hire period. All users shall also leave the premises and surrounds in a clean and tidy condition; otherwise the Association shall be at liberty to make an additional charge. There are cleaning items available for this purpose in the Buckingham Room, Coach Hall and under the stairs in the main house. Litter shall not be left in or about the centre premises. In addition to this, the Association may need to ask the Hirer to clear the room at the end of their booked session (stack the chairs, move tables etc). Where this will be necessary the Association will inform the Hirer.