Hire of the Clubhouse

The Clubhouse can be hired by non members for meetings or classes, but not private parties. It is available to Club Members for private parties. 

Visiting Yacht Clubs are welcome to use our BBQs, Clubhouse and Bar by prior arrangement.

Making a Booking

Please read the information below (or download here) then contact the Bookings Secretary to enquire about making a booking or use our Contact Form

You can check if the Clubhouse is already in use on our Calendar.

Applicants should be aware that the Clubhouse is open for the use of members at lunchtimes from 12 – 14.30 on Saturday and Sundays throughout the year.

Tariff

All bookings are subject to the terms and conditions.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE OR HIRE OF WOODBRIDGE CRUISING CLUB CLUBHOUSE AND/OR PREMISES v7

These Terms and Conditions apply to any hiring of the Clubhouse and/or premises by any third-party non-Member, or by a Member for a private function.

Acceptance of these Terms and Conditions is a pre-requisite to any hirer using club premises or facilities.

Please read this document carefully and note all important information that is relevant to your hiring.

Parties and terminology

In these Terms and Conditions (“the Conditions”), Woodbridge Cruising Club is referred to as “we”; “our” is to be construed accordingly and “we” and “us” mean and include Woodbridge Cruising Club’s trustees, committee members, volunteers, agents and invitees.

The person or organisation hiring Woodbridge Cruising Club in these Terms and Conditions is referred to as “you”; and “your” is to be construed accordingly; “you” also includes the members of your organisation and invitees.

If you are in any doubt as to the meaning of any of these Conditions, you must seek clarification from us.

Use of the Clubhouse and/or premises

Please ensure that the hirer’s representative is aware of the side door entry code and keysafe codes to open up and close the Clubhouse and/or premises and bar, unless you are a keyholder. The codes will be provided to the hirer’s representative by the Booking Secretary and are not to be shared with others.

It is essential that you comply with our Premises Licence, Health and Safety Regulations and Fire Regulations and the requirements of our insurers.

Any Member or third party wishing to use or hire the Club must agree to comply with these requirements, as well as any additional requirements of the Committee. The Club Premises Certificate can be downloaded here

You must also read the latest Health and Safety Risk Assessment, the Emergency Response Plan, the Emergency Evacuation Plan and the Fire Risk Assessment here

The party hiring the Clubhouse and/or premises is responsible for the health and safety of themselves and their guests and fire safety while using the club and will be held fully responsible for the hiring and any damage arising or loss or injury to hirers and their guests.  Further details are provided below in the Health and Safety section of these Terms and Conditions.

If vehicular access through the boatyard is required for delivering and removing items required for the hiring, prior permission must be sought from the Woodbridge Boatyard Limited and any restrictions imposed by them must be complied with – contact 01394 385786, email; info@woodbridgeand waldringfieldboatyards.com

You must not use the premises for any purpose other than that described in the Hire Agreement and must not sub-hire or use the premises or allow the premises to be used for any unlawful or unsuitable purpose or in any unlawful way nor do anything or bring on to the premises anything which might endanger the premises or render invalid any insurance policies covering the premises.  For the avoidance of doubt, bouncy castles, fireworks and naked flames are not permitted anywhere on the premises.

Noise

You must make a minimum of noise on arrival and departure, and not cause a nuisance to local residents. You must comply with all our licensing conditions including the playing of live and recorded music. If the noise from your activity is likely to be a nuisance to another hirer’s activity, then the whole of the Club must be hired.

Licenses

We have a Premises Licence from East Suffolk Council, reference PREM 0032, which authorises the serving and consumption of alcohol for members and their bona fide guests, and regulated entertainment such as the performance of a play, the performance of live music, the playing of recorded music and the performance of dance, within specified hours.  Full details of our licence are available on the East Suffolk Council website.

Limit on numbers

The numbers of persons permitted to be on the premises shall not exceed 90, with the number in the main hall and bar area not exceeding 80, with up to10 further people engaged in kitchen and bar duties. The maximum number of people allowed to be in the upstairs training room at any time is 16.

Hiring Arrangements

All hirings are to be made through the Club Booking Secretary.

The Booking Secretary will send you an email with the booking information and attach these Terms and Conditions. To confirm the booking, you are required to respond to the email stating that you have read and agree to these Terms and Conditions.  The Booking Secretary will then send you an invoice approximately two weeks before the booking date.

All hire charges are to be paid in advance.  Any other charges incurred by agreement will be invoiced by the Treasurer.

Unless agreed otherwise, there will only be one hiring of the Clubhouse and/or premises at any one time.

In the event of cancellation, if the event is cancelled less than one week before the hiring date the full charge will be payable.

You are required make arrangements to remove any bags of rubbish from the premises either on the day of the hiring or the next day for an evening event.

Health and Safety

Public Safety compliance

You must comply with all conditions and regulations made in respect of the premises by the Local Authority, the Licensing Authority, our Health and Safety Policy and our Fire Risk Assessment.  You shall ensure that you are aware of

• the action to be taken upon discovering a fire;
• the position of the exits;
• the operation of the emergency lighting and the firefighting equipment;
• raising the alarm and correct method of calling the fire brigade;
• actions for evacuation of the public in the event of an emergency.

Health and safety Policy

You must comply with our Health and Safety Policy, a copy of which can be viewed on our website.

Flammable and other dangerous substances

You must ensure that:

1. highly flammable substances (including fireworks) are not brought into, or used in any part of the premises
2. no internal decorations are brought on to the premises that may constitute a fire hazard
3. there are no naked flames, including candles and tea lights
4. radiators, bulbs and uplighters are not covered
5. at no time are children or vulnerable adults to have access to the cleaner’s cupboard in the lobby
6. at no time are children or vulnerable adults allowed in the kitchen.
7. All present must be informed of the position of the Fire Exits and extinguishers at the start of the event. There is a plan indicating their locations inside the front door.
8. All Emergency Exits must be kept clear and unobstructed at all times

Fire precautions

You are responsible for fire safety during the period of hire.

You acknowledge that you have read and understood:

1. the action to be taken in the event of a fire. This includes calling the Fire Service to any outbreak of fire, however slight, and evacuating the Hall;
2. the location and use of fire equipment;
3. escape routes and the need to keep them clear;
4. method of operation of escape door fastenings;
5. appreciation of the importance of any fire doors and of closing all fire doors at the time of a fire;
6. location of the first aid box.

In advance of any activity, you must check the following:

1. that all fire exits are unlocked and push bars are in good working order;
2. that all escape routes are free of obstruction and can be safely used for instant free public exit;
3. that fire doors are not wedged open;
4. that exit signs are illuminated;
5. that there are no fire hazards on the premises.

Smoking prohibited

You shall ensure that no-one smokes or vapes in any part of the Hall and grounds.

Food, health and hygiene

Woodbridge Cruising Club is registered as a food business with East Suffolk Council and has a 5-star rating for hygiene. If you are preparing, serving or selling food, you must observe all relevant food, health and hygiene legislation and regulations. Relevant guidance is displayed in a folder in the kitchen.

Electrical appliance safety

You must ensure that any electrical appliances brought by you to the premises and used there are safe, in good working order, and used in a safe manner.

Animals

You must ensure that no animals (including birds), except Assistance Dogs, are allowed into the Hall. No animals whatsoever are to enter the kitchen at any time.

Accidents

You must report all accidents involving injury to your guests or the public as soon as possible and complete the relevant section in our Incident Book (located next to the galley door).

Faults and damage

You are required to report any faults, failure of equipment or damage, to us as soon as possible in order that they can be rectified quickly.

Your equipment

We accept no responsibility for any equipment of yours which we agree to you storing on the premises, or other property brought on to or left at the premises, and all liability for loss or damage is hereby excluded. We may, at our discretion, dispose of any items which we have asked you to remove, and which you have failed to do so, on such terms and conditions as we think fit.

Our equipment

We will take reasonable steps to make our equipment available to you and in working order.  However, if you choose to use our equipment, we accept no responsibility if it is broken, faulty, damaged or otherwise unavailable.

Privacy and data collection

We agree only to use the personal data that we collect about you lawfully, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) effective from 25 May 2018.

No alterations

No alterations or additions may be made to the premises, nor may any fixtures be installed, or placards, decorations, or other articles be attached in any way to any part of the premises without our prior approval. You must not use drawing pins, tape, blue-tack, or other method to attach items. You must make good to our satisfaction any damage caused to the premises by such removal.

Stiletto heels or tap shoes

No stiletto heels or tap shoes are to be worn.

Use of the Bar and Galley

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE GALLEY AND BAR ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO NON-MEMBER HIRINGS EXCEPT FOR USING THE GALLEY TO MAKE HOT DRINKS.

The Club is only licensed for use by Members and bona fide guests. Members hiring the club must be fully competent regarding the operation of the bar, galley and other services in the Clubhouse and/or premises, including the removal of rubbish and empty bottles, so that no assistance from other club members is required for the hiring to take place. If assistance is requested, the Club may consider providing this and reserves the right to make a charge based on an hourly rate.

If planning to use the galley, the Galley Captain must be consulted and their approval obtained in advance. Contact at: galley@woodbridgecruisingclub.org

If you wish to use the bar, the Bar Captain must be contacted and their approval obtained in advance. (contact details in the handbook)

The club’s alcohol license only allows the sale, provision and consumption of alcohol to members and their guests.  If it is intended to serve alcohol to others, you must obtain our agreement in advance and request that we obtain the appropriate TEN (temporary event notice) in advance of the event. You must provide details of the licence required at least 14 days in advance and you will be required to reimburse the Club for the license fee.  To comply with the Club’s On Licence, no drinks may be taken onto the River Wall footpath

Please note that it is a condition of hiring that all drinks must be purchased from the bar based on Club retail prices prevailing at the time. A list of prices is shown in the bar area.

The bar must close by 2300 on weekdays and Saturdays, and 2230 on Sundays. All events must cease by midnight.

At the conclusion you must ensure that the Clubhouse and/or premises, its surroundings and all the equipment are left in a clean and orderly state, with the building safely locked up. A check list is shown later in this document.

Heating and Ventilation

If heating is required in the main hall, press ‘BOOST’ on the heating panel next to the key cupboard by the galley entrance door. The heating will come on for one hour. Renew when needed. The heating for the bar and/or Members’ Room on the second floor is switched on by pressing the touch switch and moving the thermostat in the bar. The heating switches off automatically after one hour. Renew when needed. Heating in the stairwell is linked to the bar thermostat.

The Clubhouse has a ventilation system designed to provide air circulation suitable for the number of persons attending the event. To activate the ventilation system, use the switch labelled ‘Ventilation master switch’ and the three switches labelled ‘Extract fan’, ‘Inlet fan front’ and ‘Inlet fan rear’ located near the key cabinet.

Start and end of hire

Arrangements for access will be agreed between us. Please contact us if you are unsure about the arrangements. You must ensure that any outside caterers, contractors and bar staff are made aware of your hire period and that they will not be allowed entry before or be able to have access after the end of the hire period.

If the kitchen is to be used for the preparation or serving of food you are required to complete the check-in process at the start of the hire period and sign the relevant form in the kitchen to confirm this. If you are only using the kitchen to serve tea, coffee and biscuits, you are not required to complete the check-in process.

Please ensure the lockable cleaning cupboard is locked at all times when not in use. Children and vulnerable adults should not be able to access it at any time.

At the end of the hire period you are responsible for leaving the premises and surrounding area in a clean and tidy condition, properly locked and secured.  This includes:

• If the kitchen has been used, ensuring that all items of equipment are left clean, surfaces wiped down, the floor mopped, foodstuffs are removed from the fridge/freezer and, where appropriate, signing to confirm that you have carried out all the required closing hygiene checks (the relevant forms being displayed in the kitchen)
• If the kitchen or bar has been used:
  • Any glasses in the kitchen or bar are washed, dried, and put away
  • All empty glass bottles are removed from the premises in the recycling boxes provided. (The nearest recycling point is in the Station car park) The recycling boxes are then to be returned to the club as soon as possible
  • The shelves and fridge in the bar are restocked from the bar cellar
• The dishwasher is left drained and clean
• All washing-up is completed and crockery etc put away;
• Tea towels and reusable wash cloths are removed, to be washed and returned as appropriate.
• Switching off all non-security lights, closing and locking doors and windows;
• Replacing in their original positions any contents or property temporarily removed;
• Tables wiped clean and stacked neatly in the main store
• Chairs stacked no more than 8 high and stored in the main hall or in the Training Room;
• Wipe up spillages and sweep the floor;
• Remove all rubbish from the kitchen bins and leave these clean and dry.

Ensure all cleaning equipment is returned to the cleaning cupboards and all cleaning chemicals are properly stored and locked away

Security Checklist

On departure, the hirer’s responsible person shall:

• Check that the whole building is empty
• Check that all galley appliances are switched off
• Check that all windows are shut (Toilets, Galley, Bar)
• Ensure that the balcony access doors, the verandah access door and the rear door are shut and locked
• Ensure that the fan heater at the top of the stairs in the bar is switched off. (The main hall and other bar heating will turn off automatically)
• Turn off all lights (Note that the basement lights will turn off automatically)
• Remove all rubbish with you and dispose of it
• Lock the front door – this will automatically set the alarm
• Wait for the alarm to bleep and then give a final bleep
• Place the key back in the key safe and then ensure that the garden door is closed and locked