1. Purpose

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults at risk from abuse or neglect.

This policy defines how Hampsthwaite Village Room (HVR) operates to safeguard children, young people, and adults at risk of abuse or neglect.

We have a duty of care and are committed to the protection and safety of everyone who enters our premises including children, young people and adults at risk involved as visitors and/or participants in all activities and events. We also have a duty to safeguard and support out trustees, volunteers and staff.

• Definitions

Children and young people are defined as those persons aged under 18 years old. This policy will apply to all trustees, staff, volunteers and contractors and will be used to support their work.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

• protecting children from maltreatment

• preventing impairment of children’s health and development

• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care

• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

Adult at risk of abuse or neglect for the purpose of this policy, adult at risk refers to someone over 18 years old who, according to Section 42 of the Care Act 2014:

• has care and support needs

• is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect

• as a result of their care and support needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it

If someone has care and support needs but is not currently receiving care or support from a health or care service, they may still be an adult at risk.

Persons affected

• All trustees, volunteers and staff

• All those attending any activity or service that is being delivered from Hampsthwaite Village Room charity property

• All visitors and contractors

•  Policy principles

There can be no excuses for not taking all reasonable action to protect children and adults at risk from abuse or neglect. All citizens of the United Kingdom have their rights enshrined within the Human Rights Act 1998, People who are eligible to receive health and community care services may be additionally vulnerable to the violation of these rights by reason of disability, impairment, age or illness.

Hampsthwaite Village Room charity has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.

Hampsthwaite Village Room charity recognises that under the Care Act 2014, it has a duty of care and protection of adults who are at risk of abuse. It also recognises its responsibilities for the safety and care of children under the Children Act 1989 and 2004

Hampsthwaite Village Room charity is committed to promoting wellbeing, harm prevention and to responding effectively if concerns are raised.

Hampsthwaite Village Room charity is aware of the work of their local safeguarding board/partnership and other support organisations on the development and implementation of procedures for the protection of children and adults at risk. The policy is about stopping abuse where it is happening and preventing abuse where there is a risk it may occur.

Hampsthwaite Village Room Trustee Committee is committed to the following principles:

• The welfare of the child, young person or adult at risk

.

• All children, young people and adults at risk have to right to protection from abuse.

• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: for services to be effective each professional and organisation should play their full part; and

• All suspicions and allegations of abuse must be properly reported to the relevant internal and external authorities and dealt with swiftly and appropriately.

• Procedures

1. All members of the Trustees will sign the Declaration of Acceptance of Office for Trustees which include a declaration that they have no convictions in relation to abuse.

• All members of the Trustees will familiarise themselves with safeguarding responsibilities, undertake training where appropriate on safeguarding issues including whistleblowing where it is available and offered by the local safeguarding board/partnership or their local support organisation and ensure that they understand the principles set out in this policy at 3 above.

• All members of the Trustees will work together to promote a culture that enables issues about safeguarding and promoting welfare to be addressed.

• All Trustees, helpers or other volunteers will not have unsupervised access to children or adults at risk unless appropriately vetted.

• The Trustees will follow safe recruitment practices.

• A member of the Trustees will be appointed to be responsible for child and adult at risk safeguarding matters. This person will have responsibility for reporting concerns that arise, as a matter of urgency, to the relevant agency.

• The named person is Helen Brown          Until April 2025

• All suspicions or allegations of abuse against a child or adult at risk will be taken seriously and dealt with speedily and appropriately. The appointed person will know who to contact and where to go for support and advice in relation to an allegation, a concern about the quality of care or practice or a complaint. An allegation may relate to a person who works with children or adults at risk who has:

• Behaved in a way that has harmed a child or adult at risk or may have harmed a child or adult at risk

• Possibly committed a criminal offence against, or related to, a child or adult at risk; or

• Behaved towards a child (or children) or adult at risk in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children or adults at risk.

1. The Trustees will ensure that all hirers of Hampsthwaite Village Room have signed a hiring agreement, This will require all hirers who wish to use Hampsthwaite Village Room for activities which include children and adults at risk, other than for hire for private parties arranged for invited friends and family, to either produce a copy of their Safeguarding Policy and evidence that they have carried out relevant checks through the Disclosure and Barring service (DBS) when requested to do so or, confirm that they gave understood and will adhere to the hall’s principles and procedures with regard to safeguarding.

• The Trustees will carry out an annual review of this policy

Policy adopted:  April 2024

Review date: April 2025

Standard Conditions of Hire 2024

Herein after Hampsthwaite Village Room shall be referred to as ‘HVR’ and the Hirer named on the Booking Form as ‘the Hirer’.

Booking

All applications for the hire of HVR must be made on the website or on the booking form and be administered by the Booking Secretary. The person named on the booking shall be considered the Hirer, where an organisation is named, the person signing hereby confirms that they do so with full authority of the organisation. The Hirer must be over 18 years of age.

Capacities

The maximum number of persons allowed in the building at any one time is: 40

Hire Charges

The hiring charges shall be those shown on the website/booking form and determined by HVR. Bookings made through the website must be paid in full at the time of booking using the details on the website.

For Hirers using the Booking Form, an invoice will be sent to you, from the Booking Secretary, prior to your event and must be paid before your event’s start time, Payment can be made by BACS transfer or cheque.

Cancellation

In the event of cancellation less than 7 days before the event, an administration fee of £15 may be charged.

Right of Refusal

HVR may refuse an application for the hire of the building without a reason. No organisation shall be deemed to have an undisputed right to an unbreakable series of bookings. In case of doubt or difficulty the Booking secretary or Chairperson shall refer the case to the committee of Trustees whose decision shall be final.

Hire Period

The hire of the building is for the specific agreed times shown on the booking form and does not entitle The Hirer to use or enter the premises at any other time, unless this has been agreed in advance by HVR. If additional time is required for example setting up and clearing away it must be booked and paid for at the usual hourly rate.

The building shall only be used for lawful activities. HVR does not represent that the building is suitable for any particular purpose and The Hirer must satisfy themselves in this respect.

Sub-let

The Hirer shall not sublet the building or any part thereof.

Right of Entry

During the hire period, right of entry to HVR is reserved to HVR Trustees, any Police Officer or any Licencing Officer from the Local Authority.

Breakages and Damages

Under no circumstances will any materials posters/pictures be attached to the painted walls using sticky tape, blu-tak, drawing pins or any other method.

The Hirer is responsible for all damage to the building, equipment, furniture, Wi-fi and property in the building occurring during the period of hire, or while persons are entering or leaving the building pursuant to the hire, however and by whomever caused. The Hirer will be responsible for replacement “as new” of any equipment, furniture or property and for the full cost of making good any damage to the building, fixtures and fittings.

Safety

The Hirer should be aware of the Fire Safety Floor Plan of HVR which is on display in the room. Hirers are responsible for Health and Safety issues, proving information about safety procedures, Fire Exits and the location of Fire Extinguishers etc. The Hirer must ensure that all escape routes are free from obstruction and can be safely used for instant public exit. Regular hirers are required to have in place their own written policies, procedures, risk assessments and evacuation procedures and for these to be regularly reviewed and practised.

Hirers are not permitted to enter the loft space.

Any accident must be recorded in the Accident Book to be found in the kitchen alongside the First Aid Box.

There is no telephone at Hampsthwaite Village Room. The Hirer must ensure that they have a fully charged mobile phone to use in case of emergencies.

Safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk

You must ensure that any activities for children, young people and adults at risk are only provided by fit and proper persons in accordance with the Children Act 1989 and 2004, the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and any subsequent legislation.  When requested, you must provide us with a copy of your Safeguarding Policy and evidence that you have carried out relevant checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). All reasonable steps must be taken to prevent harm, and to respond appropriately when harm does occur.  Relevant concerns must be reported.

Alcohol

Alcoholic drinks may be served free of charge.  No sale of alcoholic drinks, may be undertaken unless prior permission is sought from HVR and a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) for the event shall be obtained from the local Licencing Authority in advance and must be submitted to HVR prior to the event. No events may be advertised stating the availability of alcoholic drinks for sale without the prior agreement of HVR.

Smoking and Illegal Drugs

Smoking is NOT permitted in any part of the building at any time.

The Hirer must ensure that no illegal drugs are brought onto the premises.

Internet Access

Free Wi-Fi is provided within the building for use during the event. Search “……..” on your device and then follow the on-screen instructions for connection to the network.

Although we aim to offer the best Wi-Fi service possible, we make no promise that the Wi-Fi service will meet your requirements.  We cannot guarantee that our Wi-Fi service will be fault-free or accessible at all times.

Music Copyright licensing

HVT does not hold either the Performing Right Society (PRS) or the Phonographic Performance Licence (PPL) or, a licence to show films. If the Hirer wishes to play music or show a film the Hirer must seek advice from the Booking Secretary and   where appropriate, the Hirer must hold such licence.

Noise and Good Order

Hirers and organisers of events at Hampsthwaite Village Room are responsible for ensuring that good order is kept in the building during the hiring.  The Hirer must ensure that the noise level of their function is such that it does not cause unacceptable disturbance to or inconvenience occupiers of nearby premises.

The Hirer must ensure that the minimum of noise is made on arrival and departure, particularly late at night and early in the morning.

HVR must be vacated by 23.00hrs unless alternative arrangements have been agreed by HVR in advance.

HVR Trustees reserve the authority to stop the event or reduce its noise impact (eg through disabling of music systems etc) if unacceptable disturbance is being caused

.

Property

Property of the Hirer must be removed from HVR at the end of the hire period or fees will be charged at the usual hourly rate until the property is removed. No food is to be left the kitchen at the end of the period of hire.

End of Hire

The Hirer is responsible for leaving all areas of the building in as clean a condition as found.

All empty bottles, cans, paper, food debris and any other waste matter must be cleared from the building and suitably disposed of.

All lights and electrical appliance must be turned off and HVR must be properly locked.

Keys must be returned to the key safe at the end of the period of hire.

April 2024

Review April 2025

If you would prefer to complete a paper version of our booking form, please click here to download the document.

OPENING TUESDAY 30^TH APRIL 9.30-1.30PM & EVERY TUESDAY AFTER.

Exciting times ahead for Hampsthwaite! The Village Rooms will soon be opening after an extensive renovation and will be ready for community events and groups.

Something new for the Village Rooms will be the arrival of a new community library. This library will be a ‘library’ with a difference. There will be no stamping of books, no restriction on how many books you can borrow and, most importantly, no fines! During the library sessions, refreshments will be available so you can enjoy a book with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

So, what is this new library and how does it work? The library has been primarily set up as a place to bring together the community and to provide books for those who can’t get to the library in Harrogate or those who want to be able to access books locally. Books provide entertainment, education and a feeling of well-being to people and it is important that everyone has access to books. The library will work on a book swop system with no restrictions or rules. Simply visit the Village Rooms on a library day and have a look at the wide range of books that we have. All our books have been kindly donated by villagers and I cannot express enough gratitude to those who have donated now and in the future. We have at present at least 2000 books covering all topics ranging from fiction to history to sport to cookery to autobiographies to travel to poetry and not forgetting children’s books.

You can read your chosen book while enjoying a coffee during opening hours or you can take your books home and read them at your leisure, returning them when you finish. Alternatively, if you really love your book then you can keep it. I do believe that books can bring us so much pleasure and can help improve our mental well-being, so if you find a book you really love then keep it at home so you can enjoy it again and again.

Other plans for the library include board games sessions. Do you like Scrabble or Chess but need a worthy opponent? Don’t worry, the library will soon be able to provide exciting games activities. Who knows, we may even get some tournaments organized. We also are planning Children’s Storytime sessions which I hope will be a big hit for our younger members of the village. We have an amazing range of children’s books for all ages that have been donated, so please pop down with your family to choose some books.

Libraries are a wonderful source of information and education but most importantly they provide a warm, cosy space for all members of the community, a place where you can come and connect with other people. The Hampsthwaite Library will be that safe and welcoming space where you can have a cup of tea, choose a book or two, maybe play a board game or a game of cards and enjoy the comfort of a chat with others. Our library has toilet facilities (disabled and baby changing) and easy, accessible access from the street. The kettle will always be on and I look forward to welcoming you.

Here it is!! Your Village Room is re-opening after an extensive and fabulous refurbishment!

Everyone is invited, we're opening the doors from 11am on Saturday 27th April. Why not come along and see what we've been up to?

• All are welcome to attend the Grand Opening at 11.00am on Saturday 27th April
• The Village Room will be declared open by The Mayor of Harrogate, Councillor Michael Harrison
• The event will also be attended by Mr Andrew Jones MP
• Tea. coffee and cakes will be served
• Raffle

Looking forward to seeing you all on the 27th!

Register your interest in this event

Let us know that you're planning to attend this event. It helps us know numbers and to plan the catering requirements.

The Village Room was successful in obtaining a grant for £8,700 from the Lottery Community Fund to install Solar Panels and battery storage,  to help the Village Room become Energy Efficient. The Trustees are extremely grateful to the Lottery Community Fund for their support.

We're committed to sustainable energy usage. That's why we are happy to announce that brand new solar panels and solar batteries have been installed onsite and are fully functional

The beloved Village Room, which was gifted to the village as a reading room nearly 100 years ago and has been a meeting place for various organisations and social events for the past 50, is getting a much-needed renovation.  Thanks to a generous grant, this non-profit charity registered for the benefit of the community will continue to serve and bring people together for years to come.