The Canterbury Room
The Canterbury Room is used for refreshments after the main Sunday service but it is also used throughout the week for other community events, such as, Pilates, children's birthday parties, fund-raising events and meetings.
If you wish to book an event please confirm the availability of the venue with Jenny Hall and, once you have read the Conditions of Hire below, book your place with her: jandjh2@btinternet.com or phone 875426.
The charges are detailed below.
| From October 2021 | |
| Hire of The Canterbury Room with kitchen | £14 per hour with or without kitchen |
| Hire of St Thomas of Canterbury Church and The Canterbury Room | £112 per 4 hours |
| Hire of St Thomas of Canterbury Church and The Canterbury Room for rehearsals associated with a main event | £28 per 4 hours |
If you wish to book an event please confirm the availability of the venue with Jenny Hall and, once you have read the Conditions of Hire below, book your place with her: jandjh2@btinternet.com or phone 875426.
Note: All bookings and charges are at the discretion of the Vicar and Church Wardens.
Furniture and fittings
The Canterbury Room is covered by an entertainment licence which runs from 8.00am to midnight. The Canterbury Room seats approximately seventy people in rows, forty-eight at tables, and one hundred standing.
The room measures width 4.6m (15'9") x length 12.85m (42') and it can by split into two, by pulling a partitioning door across. There are twenty tables (6' x 3'). Chairs are provided. An overhead projector and drop-down screen are available with a portable sound system. There is provision for a separate sound loop system from the main church in The Canterbury Room.
The Canterbury Room is not licenced for the sale of alcohol. However the Church has no objection to alcoholic drinks being consumed on the premises free of charge as part of, say, a meal or function if the organiser wishes to do so within the law.
The kitchen is well equipped with a dishwasher, cutlery, crockery, wine glasses, hot plates and electric oven. There is disabled access and a toilet for the disabled. A few car parking spaces, or dropping off places, are outside the kitchen at the west end of the church. Parking is limited on site although there are spaces in nearby roads and there is a designated car park in the middle of Goring village, not far away.
Conditions of hire
THE CANTERBURY ROOM (the "Hall") and/or ST THOMAS' CHURCH (the "Church")
The Vicar, Churchwardens and Parochial Church Council of St Thomas of Canterbury, Goring-on- Thames (hereinafter the "PCC") agree to hire the Hall and/or the Church on the following terms and conditions which are deemed to have been agreed by the hirer on acceptance of the booking. The agreed date of the hire period and the start and finish times to be defined on the booking form.
1. Payment of the hire fee
The hirer agrees to pay the hire fee on the submission of the booking form.
2. Access to the Hall and/or the Church
The key to gain entrance to the Hall is held in a key safe in the front porch of the Vicarage, Manor Road, Goring RG8 9DR. Please return the keys to the key safe. Pedestrian access only (including wheelchairs/disabled) is available to the Hall and/or the Church from the public footpath that runs through the churchyard. Vehicular access to the West ends of the Church and Hall can be gained from the lane leading to the river bank by the bridge. Parking space is limited and no vehicles shall be parked there so as to obstruct access to the Hall, the Church, or adjacent private properties. The turning circle at the West end of the Church must be kept clear to leave room for emergency vehicles. The PCC reserves the right to move any vehicle which is causing or may cause an obstruction to others. Hirers using this access will need to open the iron gates at the entrance to the churchyard (if not already open), and are asked to close them when all have departed.
3. Appropriate use of the Hall, Church, and Churchyard
The Hall is part of St Thomas of Canterbury Church and thus a consecrated building. The hirer should therefore use the Hall, the Church and the Churchyard in an appropriate manner. None are to be used for any purpose inimical to the purposes of the Church of England as determined by the Vicar and churchwardens. This includes a ban on Smoking anywhere in the Hall, the Church and the Churchyard. The PCC reserves the right to refuse or terminate any booking should these conditions be breached in the opinion of the Vicar or churchwardens,whose decision is final.The PCC's consequential liability for a financial loss will be limited to the refund of any hire fee.
4. Responsibilities of the Hirer
4.1 The hirer will be responsible for leaving the Hall and/or the Church clean and tidy at the end of the hire period, including cleaning the toilets, sweeping the floor, removal of stains, etc. so that the Hall/and or the Church is/are ready to be used by the next hirer. Equipment is stored in the boiler room, next door to the toilets. If this is not complied with the PCC reserves the right to charge the hirer for any additional cleaning and/or repair costs incurred.
4.2 The hirer will take away and dispose of, at their expense, all rubbish including bottles, food remains, etc. This includes emptying all the rubbish bins.
4.3 The hire charge includes the use of crockery, cutlery and kitchen equipment as provided. The hirer will be liable for the cost of replacing any items broken or damaged during the hire, or found missing after the hire. The hirer will be responsible for washing up crockery, etc. after use.
4.4 Hirers should provide their own tea towels, but washing up liquid will normally be available. The hirer should return crockery and cutlery to the appropriate place, stack chairs at the edges of the Hall, and return any furniture moved in the Church to its original place.
4.5 The hire charge includes for the cost of heating and lighting. Hirers will be responsible for turning off the lighting at the end of the hire. Hirers will be responsible for any additional costs if this is not done.
4.6 The hirer must familiarise him/herself with the location and operating procedures of all fire exists at the start of the hire period. All fire exits in the hired area must be unlocked and kept accessible and clear of obstructions throughout the hire period, and the hirer must announce the location of exists and fire extinguishers to any public audience. All doors which have been unlocked to serve as fire exists must be re-locked at the end of the hire period. In the event of a fire, please dial 999 and await the fire brigade. Also, please alert the Vicar/churchwardens on 01491 875651.
4.7 The hirer is not to interfere with the use of the Hall and/or Church by any other authorised user outside the hire period.
4.8 The hirer must endeavour to ensure that all users of the Hall and/or Church keep noise to an accept able level and that their general behaviour is appropriate to the location within a consecrated churchyard/burial ground surrounded by residential properties.
4.9 The hirer is responsible for ensuring that appropriate child and vulnerable adult policies are in place, if applicable.
4.10 Alcohol may only be consumed at an event with the prior agreement of the Vicar/Incumbent and/or Churchwardens. Where such agreement is granted and where alcohol is sold at an event or is included in the ticket price then the hirer is responsible for obtaining the licence required in the case of provision of alcohol on the premises. The PCC restricts the sale or consumption of alcohol to beer, cider and wines. No spirits are allowed under any circumstances. Drinking is allowed in the Hall only and is strictly prohibited by the PCC in the Church or Churchyard. The PCC reserves the right to request sight of the licence before the event. Advice on the need for such a licence should be obtained in advance of the hire from South Oxfordshire District Council; Tel. 01491 823000; website: http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/
5. Indemnity and Insurance
(A) The hirer shall indemnify and keep indemnified each member of the PCC and the PCC's volunteers, agents and invitees against:
- the full cost of repair (including professional fees) of any damage done to any part of the premises (Hall and/or Church) including the curtilage thereof and/or the contents of the premises.
- 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 (including the storage of equipment) by the hirer and
- 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 by the hirer.
(B) The hirer shall take out adequate insurance, including for public liability and for damage to property, to insure the hirer and members of the hirer's organisation and invitees against the hirer's liability under preceding paragraph (5A) and claims for accidents arising as a result of the hire, and on demand the hirer shall produce the policy and current receipt or other such evidence of cover to the churchwardens. Failure if requested to produce such policy and evidence of cover will render the hiring void and enable the PCC to rehire the premises to another hirer. For persons hiring the premises (Hall and/or Church) in connection with the organisation of a private social event on no more than three occasions per hirer per calendar year, condition 5B may be waived by agreement with the Vicar/Churchwardens and such indemnity provided under the PCC policy.
6. Cancellations
The hirer may cancel the booking up to 14 days before the start of the hire period and will receive a full refund. Cancellations at shorter notice will receive a partial refund at the discretion of the PCC. In the event of a cancellation by the PCC, then a full refund will be given but the PCC will not accept other financial loss caused by the cancellation.
