Sep 20 - Hawkesbury Upton Village Hall - Hire for Weddings, Parties, Stage for Live music

 

Present – Kate Bashford, Sue Hope, Amy Barnfield, Bill Cullen,  Neil Fozard, Jackie Sandy, Louise Roberts, Steve Magrath, Phil Dennett, Sam Allen, Jane Stanbridge.

 

Apologies – Chris Rispin, Fiona Steeds, Neil Adams, Angelo Sauro, Mandy Clark

 

The minutes were agreed as a true record.

 

Following the recent changes on COVID restrictions, we are waiting for guidance to see how the new restrictions impact Village Halls. This is expected any day. Once the guidance is clear, we will advise / restrict hirers accordingly.

Sam asked if Hirers should all be washing the floor after they have used the Hall. The consensus is no – it is washed every morning by the cleaners, using specialist cleaning equipment and detergent.

Parish Council, History Group and Badminton Club have reported they are unlikely to be using the Hall for the time being.

Steve Magrath highlighted issues remain with the climbing frame in the Infant area with regard to potential finger traps. It’s not clear what the solution is, or if the contractor has been able to look at the issue. Could the gaps be made bigger? – Kate to speak to Karen Bexter

Sue Hope asked about use of the play park at busy times, and numbers that should be allowed to use the trampoline, or if there is a maximum weight limit for that piece of equipment. Kate to ask Karen Bexter.

Kate to flag in note parish mag about use of maximum numbers, and request that children should be supervised.

Bill had shared the finance report in advance of the meeting. Again, a reduced number of transactions this month. Bill is still waiting for a finalised figure on playpark. Kate to request from Karen.

Currently we use Utility Warehouse. However, Bill has begun a review with a company called Utility Aid who may be able to offer lower costs. He will report on progress at the next meeting.

The garden is looking really nice, and is being enjoyed by many. People are helping out with tasks such as weeding.

Amy asked about the area to the left of the Playhouse – it is now becoming overgrown with nettles. Is this area still going to be used by the Show Committee? – Kate will email Vicky Rispin.

Air Ambulance Container

The container has now been removed.

 

Work has been undertaken on the water storage tanks and shower pump. Work has been completed to repair damage to the skatepark. The work cost £380.

 

CCTV – given the recent damage, there was support from the Committee to providing CCTV to cover the skatepark and playpark. We need to ensure we have the right protocols, notifications and signage. Amy asked if we could take police advice to ensure that any evidence would be useful – Kate will continue to work on the protocol / Policy, and ask Chris to discuss with the Police.  

Health and safety considerations – no issues reported by users.

Jackie asked about use of the Hall by a new Calligraphy group, and restrictions on numbers that would apply, particularly under the “Rule of six”. We are currently waiting for guidance on this and will share it as soon as it comes available, as it may impact on a number of Hall hirers.

Figures for utilities consumption had been submitted by Chris. It was reported this afternoon that the tap in the field was leaking. Angelo has said he will look at it tomorrow.

Football – football have asked if they can use the pitch for reserve games too. Committee agreed that this was possible, BUT we must have an accurate list of fixtures. Angelo to request this please.

 

Committee members would like to have it confirmed how much football are paying and whether we need to review their fees – Bill will discuss with Angelo. However, we need to bear in mind the work that they do to cut the grass, do the white lines, provide goal posts etc which is beneficial to others in the village. We need to ensure we take this into account, and compare hire costs on a like for like basis – we do not have the capacity to maintain the pitch.

 

Apologies from Neil for not collecting the car park money – he will do it tomorrow.

 

Jane has tried to contact people who are recommending use of the Village Hall carpark as a starting point for walkers. This is proving to be an impossible task as it features in many walking guides which are a number of years old. KB reported CR will continue his discussions with the Parish Council once he returns from holiday.