Conditions of Hire

A Word About Our Halls

Dreel Halls is owned by our community charity, Anstruther Improvements Association, and run by volunteers. We want to keep the hire price low so that it is accessible to the many, not the few.

For this reason, we operate on a DIY basis – hirers are expected to leave the halls in the condition they find them.

This means putting the furniture back exactly where it was, washing up anything you use and putting it away, taking your rubbish and recycling with you etc.

It also means cleaning the toilets and mopping the floors if necessary.

See the Conditions of Hire below for more detail.

We can also provide a cleaning service for you at an additional cost. Please ask if you are interested.  Running the halls this way ensures that as many people as possible can afford to enjoy Dreel Halls.

Conditions of hire:

By signing the booking form, all hirers agree to the terms and conditions set out in these conditions of hire.

1. In accordance with Scottish Law no smoking is permitted anywhere in Dreel Halls.
2. In accordance with fire regulations, Dreel Halls is licensed at a capacity of 168. We recommend that the Upper Hall is not used for more than 40 standing and the Lower Hall is not used for more than 128 standing. If you want to seat guests comfortably, you will need to reduce the numbers in each.   
3. Hirers must be aged 18 years or over. During the period of the hire, the hirer will be responsible for the conduct of all persons using the Halls and the grounds. The hirer is responsible for the supervision of all those under 18 who are using the Halls and for ensuring that there is sufficient responsible adult help. The hirer must ensure that they are in a suitable state to carry out this responsibility.
4. During the period of hire the hirer is responsible for the supervision of the Halls, their fabric and contents, and for ensuring their safety from damage, however slight. The hirer shall indemnify Anstruther Improvements Association (AIA) for the cost of repair of any damage done to any part of the Halls, their contents and its grounds which occurs during the period of hire or as a result of the hire. If any breakages or acts of vandalism occur in the Halls or if the Halls are left in an unsatisfactory condition, it will be at the discretion of the AIA to seek reimbursement or to use some or all of any deposit taken towards the expenses incurred. If a deposit has been taken, the deposit will be returned after the function if the Halls and its contents are left in a satisfactory condition.  The Committee appreciates that sometimes crockery and glassware is broken by accident, but the hirer should report this so that things can be replaced. Excess breakages or breakages of more expensive items will be charged at cost.
5. The hirer is responsible for ensuring that sound made by any sound system used during the period of hire is kept at a reasonable level. No event may continue past midnight, except by prior agreement; for a public event after midnight, a licence must be agreed with Fife Council. Please ensure that persons leaving the hall do so quietly with due consideration to neighbours. We rely on their goodwill to allow us to continue to run Dreel Halls as an event space.  Any unagreed overstay beyond midnight will result in additional hire charges of £10 per 5 minutes, which will be deducted from the deposit, or if no deposit has been applied it will be payable in addition to the hall hire fee.
6. At the end of the hire period the hirer must ensure that:

• The Halls are left clean and tidy, with no personal possessions left in the building, any mess swept up and all table tops wiped. The kitchen is left clean, with all crockery etc. washed, dried and put away. Toilets are also left clean. Any extra cleaning required will incur a charge. If you do not wish to clean the Halls after your hire, we can provide this service for an additional fee. Cleaning materials are kept in the cleaner’s cupboard.
• Items removed from their usual positions are properly replaced, including tables and chairs which must be stacked or left where they were found.
• Windows are shut and secured, shutters open and curtains pulled back for fire safety reasons; kettles are left unplugged and emptied; taps are turned off. All internal doors are left as they were on arrival and the main door is locked.
• Any heating instructions provided are followed.
• If the hire generates a large amount of waste, including from the kitchen and WCs, this must be removed by the hall hirer.

The hirer has responsibility for the premises and the key, where provided, during the period of access to Dreel Halls. The hire period must include set-up and clear-up time. The premises must be vacated promptly at the end of the hire. People often under-estimate how long they need to set up the room for their event or activity, and to clear and clean up afterwards in order to leave the space as they found it (see A Word About Our Halls above). Please ensure you leave yourself enough time. Any overstay will incur a recalculation of the hire fee, and if this is after 10pm it will include a surcharge. This will be deducted from the deposit, or if no deposit has been applied it will be payable in addition to the hall hire fee.

7. If the hirer cancels the booking more than 14 days prior to the function, any hiring fee paid will be returned. If the hirer wishes to cancel the booking less than 14 days before the date of the event and the AIA is unable to secure a replacement booking, the hire fee will be retained.
8. The AIA reserves the right to cancel any booking by giving notice in writing and returning the hiring charge and deposit, should the purpose of hiring Dreel Halls be in any way improper or unauthorised, or in a case of force majeure. The AIA will not be liable to pay the hirer any money/loss incurred by the cancellation and the hirer may wish to take out insurance.
9. Under Health and Safety Rules and Regulations (and a legal requirement under Fife Council’s Electrical Safety) all electrical equipment must have a current Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) certificate. The hirer is responsible for PAT certification of any equipment brought into Dreel Halls and for the equipment itself.
10. The hirer is required to ensure compliance with the Food Safety Act, 1990, the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and any subsequent related regulations. The AIA is not responsible for any food brought into Dreel Halls by hirers.
11. The hirer shall be responsible for obtaining any licences that may be needed for the consumption of intoxicating liquor and for the observance of all other regulations appertaining to the premises as stipulated by the Fire Authority and the Local Authority. Information on regulations can be found under Licences and Permits on the Fife Council website (www.fife.gov.uk) and the hirer is responsible for ascertaining whether any licences are required. If found to be selling alcohol without a licence, the AIA can close down an event immediately.
12. Any gambling activities must conform to the Gambling Act 2005.
13. Hirers are responsible for all and any damage to Dreel Halls and the AIA suggests hirers seek insurance for public liability and damage. Public liability and damage to Dreel Halls is the responsibility of the hirer pro tem.
14. The AIA has no responsibility for any personal items left on the premises or any damage caused by them to the premises or any misuse of them by others. No apparatus or equipment of any description can be left on the premises without prior consent.
15. It is the responsibility of individual hirers to be aware of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and to take precautions to ensure their activities are carried out in a responsible way. Any accidents at Dreel Halls must be reported to the AIA Committee and an entry must be made in the accident report book, which is kept in the kitchen cupboard with first aid equipment.
16. The hirer must be familiar with the location of fire extinguishers and instructions for use, fire alarm points, emergency exits, the assembly point and internal fire doors. The hirer must inform users of the emergency exits, ensure fire exits are unobstructed and know what to do in case of a fire. Fireworks are not permitted. Whilst the use of birthday candles/tea lights in appropriate holders is permitted, this should form part of the hirer’s risk assessment.
17. The hirer must read the Emergency Fire Action Plan. In the event of a fire or emergency during the hire period, the hirer is the ‘person responsible for the premises at that time’. The hirer is responsible for knowing who is on the premises and should take the roll call once assembled at the Fire Assembly Point in the graveyard.
18. The hirer is responsible for the safety of all children and vulnerable adults at all times at any event. The hirer is responsible for ensuring that adults with continuing and close contact with children and vulnerable adults are members of the PVG scheme where appropriate.
19. Contact details for the AIA Committee can be found in the entrance hall cupboard.
20. There is a first aid kit kept in the kitchen cupboard. Please let us know if you use anything so that it can be replaced for next time.
21. Please note that Dreel Halls does not have a car park. There is some public parking available on Esplanade, along Shore Street and in Anstruther harbour and at Station Road. Please be considerate of local residents, many of whom use Esplanade car park to access their home with shopping etc. Vehicles parked on the corner of Esplanade for loading or unloading must be moved to a permanent car parking space as soon as possible.