Sections
Before I Hire
Is there car parking available? There is parking for up approximately 20-30 cars. Please drive and park considerately.
What’s the layout of the Hall? The Main Hall is nearest the Road. Off this on the right is a small storage area for table and chairs. To the left is the kitchen and a Committee Room (with separate external access). On the far side one door leads to the separate Annexe room and the other to the lavatories for ladies, gentlemen and an accessibility toilet. The hall is fully accessible. A diagram of the hall layout can be found on the Facilities page.
What hours is the Hall open? The hall opening times, and the times of licensed activities (e.g. consumption of alcohol and playing of music) are detailed in our Premises Licence.
What access is there to the kitchen? The kitchen is directly accessible from the Main Hall and from a separate entrance at the far end of the building. There is a serving hatch from the kitchen to the Main Hall. The use of the kitchen is included in the hire charge for either the Main Hall or the Committee Room.
Can I visit the Hall before I book to see if it’s suitable? We are all volunteers, many with full-time jobs, which makes it difficult to arrange viewings as we also must do this at time the hall is free. The pictures of the hall on our website are accurate. However, if you are planning a larger event and this is important to you please contact the Bookings Manager and we will do our best to accommodate a visit.
Can I arrange a Bouncy Castle for my party? The use of bouncy castles and inflatables inside the hall is not permitted as they are expressly excluded from our insurance policy as a hazardous activity.
If you wish to use a bouncy castle or inflatable outside the premises on the grass near the hall please ask the Bookings Manager.
Is there a stage and sound equipment? No, however the hall does have a public entertainment licence. Equipment would need to be hired.
Is there WiFi in the Hall? Yes, WiFi is freely available for use by our guests. Access details will be provided with your booking confirmation.
What is the capacity of the Hall? We can accommodate 85 people in the Large Hall, approximately 60 in dining format and 30-40 in the Annexe. The Committee Room has 3 armchairs.
Are there facilities for the disabled? The hall is fully accessible for those in wheelchairs with ramps for the door thresholds. There is a large lavatory especially equipped for the disabled. There are no significant floor level changes inside.
Do you have cutlery, wine glasses, beer glasses, cups, saucers, plates. tables, chairs? We have a large amount of basic cutlery, wine and beer glasses and cooking utensils. There is a crockery set for about 60. We have 15 large and 15 small tables.
What appliances are available in the kitchen? There is a gas hob and two ovens. There is also a microwave, two kettles, and a dishwasher.
Is there any free time allowed for setting up and/or clearing up? We ask that you book and pay for all the time you will be in occupation; this will include any time necessary for setting-up and clearing down. This avoids clashes with other bookings and is in your own interest as well as that of other users.
Can I provide alcohol at my event? If you intend to provide alcohol at an event for which money changes hands at any point, you will need a licence. For example, you will need an alcohol licence if you sell tickets which include a free drink, if you sell alcohol at a bar, or if you provide alcohol to members of a club. The Hall has a Premises Licence for the on-sale of alcohol and the Management Committee will consider allowing this to be used by approved hirers, for a fee of £20 per day. Alternatively you can hire a private licensee to run the bar for you, or seek the permission of the committee to apply for a Temporary Event Notice from South Norfolk Council. If alcohol is provided at the event completely free of charge, no licence is required. However you must seek the approval of the Management Committee for all events at which alcohol is to be provided.
Can I have a BBQ at the hall? Please ensure you follow the guidelines below if you wish to have a BBQ or spit roast at your event.
1. The brick-built barbecue on a patio area remote from the hall must be be used, BBQ must not be set up on the grass unless at least 0.5 metres from the ground.
3. The BBQ must be supervised at all times.
4. No hot coals must be disposed off in the refuse bins. They must be disposed of only after they have gone cold.
5. No BBQ – even disposable ones – can be used inside the village hall.
When do I pay for my hire? Please make your final payment no later than two weeks before your event. If full payment has not been received you may forfeit the period booked and we may accept bookings from other hirers.
Do you offer any discounts? We offer discounts to the residents of Needham and Regular hall users as detailed in our Charges.
Do you have any restrictions as to who can hire the Hall? We do not hire the Hall to anyone aged less than 18 years, nor to anyone who may still owe money to the Hall for any reason. There may be some activities or events for which we would choose not to hire out the Hall; please ask if you need to.
On the Day
Do I collect a key? No, the keys are stored in key safes near the door. You will be sent the code to access the key by email 1-2 days before your booking..
How do I use the access code to unlock the door? All doors have key operated 5-lever mortice locks. Each entrance has its own key, stored in a key-safe to the left of each door. The code will be provided to you 1-2 days before your booking. Please remember to replace the key and secure the key-safe after your event.
My guests want to arrive earlier than the time booked; what should I do? The Hall will be available from the time you booked, and unless you have made an alteration (with the agreement of the Bookings Manager), that is the time you and your guests may enter. If the Hall is already open owing to an earlier event being in progress, we ask that you respect their tenancy of the Hall and don’t enter prematurely.
There is another event occurring in one of the other rooms; what should I do? Please confine your use of the Hall to the room(s) you have booked and respect others’ rights to the room they are in. You can book all rooms simultaneously if you want to ensure your own privacy.
Can I attach decorations to the wall and ceiling? No, please do not use blue/white-tack, sellotape or any other material to fix things to the walls. You must not attach anything to lighting appliances or to other electrical equipment – doing so is not only a safety hazard but can also cause damage. There are hooks provided around the hall should you want to hang decorations. Please ask if you have any queries about this.
During Hire
What should I do in the event of a fire? Please refer to and familiarize yourself with the Fire Procedures prior to the event (posted near the Fire Alarm in the front foyer). As the hirer you are the designated responsible person and the safety of all users is of primary importance.
There is some faulty equipment at the Hall; what should I do? We’d be pleased if you would report it to the Duty Warden. Contact details are posted by the doors and on the noticeboards in the hall. If a malfunction is interfering with the proper running of your event, you may report it immediately.
I’ve broken something belonging to the Hall; where should I report this? Again, to the Duty Warden. We have an understanding view of accidental breakage, but if we feel an item has been broken through misbehaviour or similar we would expect it to be paid for. We would far rather discuss a breakage with a hirer than have to pursue them later and would hope to come to a reasonable arrangement.
At the Close of my Event
How much cleaning-up do you expect me to do? We expect that all tables will be clean and put away, floors swept, food and rubbish to have been removed and fridges empty. Please note that our Hiring Terms state that should the Hall be left in such a state that cleaning by our local volunteers is unnecessary.
What time must we leave? The Hall must be vacated by the end of your specified booking period.
What should I do with my rubbish? Although there are Green and Black bins outside the hall, please arrange to bag up your rubbish and take it with you. There are frequently several events at the hall during the course of a week, each generating sizeable amounts of refuse. The bins are emptied on a two-weekly cycle, so if hirers leave their rubbish behind the bins can overflow, creating unpleasantness for all our users. Remember to bring black bags with you – they are not provided.
After the Event
I think I’ve left some property at the Hall; what can I do about it? We understand that it’s easy to leave behind some items of property and we have a policy of keeping lost property for up to three months. Please contact the Duty Warden if you think you’ve left something with us.
I’d like to leave some feedback on my experience of the Hall. How do I do this? We should be very grateful if you wish to share any opinion of the Hall and/or the volunteers you have dealt with during the hire process. Please use the feedback form, e-mail the Bookings Manager, or leave a written message in the Kitchen addressed to the Committee.
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