Room Bookings
How Do I Book A Room?
Decide which room you require, hall or meeting room, at Facilities
Look at the Availability Calendar to see when the room is available. You can change between month, week and day settings to explore the calendar (month, week) and make the existing bookings more readable where there are several close together (day).
Send us a Booking Enquiry
The bookings secretary may contact you to discuss the details or answer any queries you may have. You will then receive an email with a link to your hire agreement form; click on the link to access it. Some of the entries on the form are already filled in for you, others left for you to complete. Items with a * must be entered, others may be left blank if they are not relevant. Tick the acceptance box, type your name as a signature and date the form and then click Send to submit the form. You will receive an email and PDF attachment with the booking form details. Payment of the amount shown on the form can be made by any of the methods shown on the form. Your booking will appear in the availability calendar when the form has been processed.
Can I see the village hall before I make the booking ?
We encourage potential hirers to visit the hall when events such as our monthly Produce Sales and Coffee mornings are taking place. If this is not suitable for you, please discuss your requirements and we can see if a viewing at another time is possible.
How do I pay for the hire?
Payment must be made in advance for single bookings. For multiple or a series of bookings, consult the bookings secretary. Payment may be made by bank transfer (BACS, Faster Payments) or cheque. See the Hire Agreement for details.
At the hall
Is there a car park at the hall ?
There is a small car park opposite the hall and free street parking just outside.
How will I gain entry to the hall ?
A volunteer caretaker will be appointed to look after you and will meet you at the hall to show you the rooms and any equipment you might need. If this is the first time you have hired the hall, or it is more than a year since your last hire, the caretaker will go through a checklist with you to ensure that you are given all the information you need. The process will take about 10 minutes so, it is recommended that you arrange with the bookings secretary to meet the caretaker 10 minutes before the start of your session.
How can I contact my volunteer caretaker ?
There is a list of caretakers’ phone numbers on the noticeboard in the corridor. You may wish to take your caretaker’s name and/or phone number in case of difficulties or a safety issue.
Is there disabled access ? What facilities are provided for the disabled ?
The rear door has no step and so is suitable for wheelchairs. The side door has a small step for which a ramp can be provided. The front entrance has a few steep steps which make it unsuitable for wheelchair access. A foldup wheelchair is available. One of the four toilets is suitable for disabled people, having the usual mobility aids including an always-accessible alarm.
What happens at the end of the hire period ?
We ask you to clean up, leaving the hall in the same state that you found it. If you have crockery etc to wash, the dishwasher takes about 15 minutes to complete its cycle; please load it in advance and then replace the contents in the appropriate cupboards
Do I need to be physically present at the hall during the session or can I book for someone else ?
As the hirer of the hall, you are responsible for what happens during your hire period and must be present during the whole session.
Can I use the kitchen?
Yes, use of the kitchen is free. We ask that you leave it in the state you found it and wash and put away any crockery, cutlery etc you have used. The dishwasher is very fast and takes less than 15 minutes to complete a cycle.
Although kitchen equipment is provided for your use, the consumables in the kitchen are purchased for exclusive use by various groups in the village.
Is smoking allowed in the hall ?
No.
Is alcohol allowed in the hall ?
Please see details in the hire conditions
Is music allowed in the hall ?
Please see details in the hire conditions
Must I clear up at the end of the booking ?
The golden rule is to leave the building in the state in which you found it, remembering that there will be another booking after yours and that the caretaker is a volunteer who will not be able to clear up after you. We thank you in advance for your consideration.
What about rubbish ?
There are three bins near the rear entrance to the building:
Pink – for loose recyclable material.
Blue – for general waste.
Green – for village-hall personnel only.
Please use the correct bin. This is important as we follow the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Partnership waste-disposal policy and the three Rs: Reduce your waste, Reuse what you can, Recycle according to the rules. One bag of general (blue-bin) rubbish and a quantity of recyclables (unbagged, pink bin) may be put in the bins, as long as the lids can be closed properly. If you have more than this, please take it away and dispose of it yourselves. Thank you for abiding by these guidelines.
Safety
Is the village hall a safe environment ? Are there any known hazards ?
Yes, the hall is a safe area and we have never experienced any major issues in more than ten years of use. The kitchen has the usual electrical appliances which should be used with care, as you would at home. Coton itself is a small, quiet and safe village.
What do I do in case of a fire ?
The hirer should get everyone to leave the building as quickly as possible by the nearest emergency exit, making sure that everyone has left. The Fire Assembly Point is on the Village Green, a little to the right of the Village Hall as you leave the Village Hall. It is the responsibility of the hirer to be present at all times during the hire period. If the fire is a very minor one and can be extinguished safely, put it out if you feel happy to do so. In the case of a more major fire, the fire brigade should be called as soon as possible and a volunteer caretaker notified. Your caretaker will discuss fire and safety with you at the beginning of your first hire.
Are candles allowed? For birthday cakes?
The use of candles in the building, even ones which are nominally smokeless, is liable to set off the fire alarm with a possible evacuation of the building and visit by the fire brigade. If the weather is clement, a birthday cake could be placed on a table outside the building for the blowing-out ceremony and brought in afterwards, as long as the table is not near an open door and the candles had definitely stopped smoking.
Is there a defibrillator?
There isn’t a defibrillator at the hall but there are two in Coton. The closer is at the school, about 100m further along the road into the village, on the far (west) wall. The other is on the far (east) wall of the sports pavilion in the centre of the recreation ground.
Facilities
What facilities are available ?
Most of the facilities are described on the website. We have:
Kitchen – A large oven, two microwaves, a kettle, a dishwasher, a fridge, two sinks, cutlery, crockery, glasses, jugs etc. A First Aid box. There is also a cleaner’s cupboard, with brushes and other cleaning equipment, which the volunteer caretaker will leave open for you. There is a serving hatch into the hall.
Main Hall – An audio-visual system with projector and drop-down screen which can be attached to your laptop via an HTML cable, a DVD player, various types of microphones, and a bluetooth connection to your equipment which will allow you to play, for example, music on your phone through the speakers in the ceiling. The roof windows and blinds are remotely controlled. Air conditioning and space heating is available – ask the volunteer caretaker to do any adjustments for you. Chairs and large, rectangular & small, square tables are available in the storeroom at the back of the hall.
Meeting Room – Five large tables and a number of chairs. A kitchenette area with microwave, sink, fridge and tea/coffee-making facilities. Heating and air conditioning. Whiteboard.
Corridor – four toilets, one of which is suitable for disabled use.
Are there manuals for the various appliances?
Kitchen appliance manuals are kept in the cupboard in the kitchen facing the entrance door. Manuals for the Meeting Room appliances are kept on top of the cupboard above the sink area.
Is there a wifi connection?
Wifi is free and is available throughout the building. See the noticeboard for connection details.
Is there Bluetooth?
Yes, there is a Bluetooth connection to the AV system.
Environs
Does Coton have any shops or restaurants ?
There is a gastropub, The Plough, and a large garden centre with a cafe and restaurant, both a 5 minute walk from the hall.