4th July 2020 - Our next steps

Wash Your Hands - Prevent the spread of Covid-19 at Deverell Hall

Demo speech bubble

This is CSS speech bubble with borders and drop shadow.

On 23rd June 2020 the Government announced that village halls and community buildings are able to re-open from Saturday 4th July 2020, providing they adhere to COVID-19 Secure guidelines. At Deverell Hall we have already put in place many safeguards, and have been working hard to ensure the safety of all people who use our building.

As we now continue to move forward, we need to aim to maintain diligence and safety. I think that most people would agree there is always the possibility of a second wave of Coronavirus hitting again, not only our country, but across the world as lockdowns are eased. So with this in mind, at Deverell Hall we want to make sure that we have done EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to mitigate the risks involved.

Hand sanitisers at entry points added;
Yellow lines painted on exterior entry points to indicate social distancing measures;
Exterior signs erected reminding people of social distancing;
Interior signs about cleanliness, hand-washing, social distancing installed;
Preschool Parents and/or non essential visitors now restricted from entry into the building;
Additional cleaning of contact surfaces increased;
Risk assessments completed.

Apart from cleaning, we needed to look at all risk assessments, and with that in mind we conducted and created specific risk assessment for Covid-19. You can view this specific risk assessment by clicking here or on the button below:

RISK ASSESSMENT: COVID-19

Based on current Government Guidelines we have outlined below the dates for all users and planned return times for regular and casual hirers. If you have any questions please contact us if you have not received an email soon.

Monday 15th June 2020 - Deverell Hall Preschool Returned:
On 15th June we welcomed back our valued Preschool Setting, and working closely with Jane Robinson, the Preschool Manager, her team, and the Management Committee of Deverell Hall, we have had a successful return for preschool children and staff. Parents of their children are absolutely happy with the safeguarding measures put in place by us all.

Thursday 25th June 2020 - Essential Services are re-implemented:
Essential services are for example support groups working hard to help vulnerable individuals who require assistance. This might include medical providers or counselling services.

Saturday 1st August 2020 - SOME REGULAR HIRER GROUPS:
Commencing Saturday 1st August 2020 we will be allowing some of the regular group hirers to return which we have called STAGE ONE. We will contact ALL GROUPS before this date, to advise them if they are able to return at this stage.

Groups who cannot return yet:
Based on current Government Guidelines if your group involves

(a) indoor fitness and/or;
(b) sport activity and/or;
(c) performing arts and/or;
(d) range of worship activities
then regrettably we need to await Government Guideline Policy Changes before we can allow access for you.

Tuesday 1st September 2020 - All Remaining REGULAR HIRERS and GROUPS:
Commencing Tuesday 1st September 2020 the remaining regular hirer groups will be allowed to commence their normal bookings, pending Government Guidance. Please check our online diary to see if your group is included in this stage of re-opening, and if you appear online, then this means that your group will be charged from that date onwards as per normal.

This is a change to the previous anticipated date of 3rd August to give us time to make sure that the hall is running smoothly, and that we can offer the best options with safety in mind.

We do recognise that some regular hirer groups may have people within the group who for one reason or another might be worried about returning back to "normality". This might be due to the age of the members within the group concerned, or perhaps worry about a second spike.

The hall may agree to suspend your normal booking if this was the case.

When hirers do return to using the hall, we will rely upon each and every group to adhere to current social distancing measures as may be in place at that time.

"Leaders or the Primary Named Hirer" of each group would be primarily responsible to ensure that safeguarding issues are met.

Albeit Deverell Hall has its own risk assessments in place, these cover the building itself. Ideally under new guidelines issued by the Government, it is important that all hirers document their own cleaning/sanitization procedures and likewise, their compliance with Government Guidelines.

You may also need to keep logs of all people attending your group on any given day at the hall to help with Track & Trace including contact details. As a group hirer, you should be aware that your details may be passed onto Track & Trace if required.

Deverell Hall have produced a Hirer Only Risk Assessment document which you might find useful.

Our blank Covid-19 Risk Assessment is provided "as is" and without warranty. You may adapt it to your specific hirer needs. We suggest that you print off this document, and make any relevant changes that apply to your own group. If you would like this document sent to you in an editable word format, please contact us.

Monday 4th January 2021 - CASUAL HIRERS.
The earliest date we will consider casual hirers for using Deverell Hall is Monday 4th January 2021 onwards.

This is a change to the previous anticipated date of 7th September 2020 and given current circumstances, and/or second spike possibilities, we feel that it is appropriate to delay casual hire until this date.

Updated 11th July 2020

Community centres, village halls, and other multi-use community facilities support a wide range of local activity. However, their communal nature also makes them places that are vulnerable to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Managers of community facilities will have discretion over when they consider it safe to open for any activity permitted by legislation and may decide to remain closed if they are not able to safely follow the advice in the relevant guidance, to make the space COVID-19 secure.

Users and hirers of a community facility have responsibility for managing risks arising from their own activities when they have control of premises and should take account of any guidance relevant to their specific activity or sector.

If you can, you should wear a face covering in enclosed public spaces where social distancing isn’t possible and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet, such as a community facility. This is most relevant for short periods indoors in crowded areas. Evidence suggests that wearing a face covering does not protect you. However, if you are infected but have not yet developed symptoms, it may provide some protection for others you come into close contact with. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you and your household must isolate at home; wearing a face covering does not change this.

Face coverings do not replace social distancing. Even if a face covering is used, staff and users of the space should continue to wash hands regularly and maintain social distancing. If users of the space choose to wear one, it is important to use face coverings properly and thoroughly wash hands before putting them on and taking them off.

Please note, a face covering is not the same as the surgical masks or respirators used by healthcare and other workers as part of personal protective equipment. These should continue to be reserved for those who need them to protect against risks in their workplace, such as health and care workers, and those in industrial settings, like those exposed to dust hazards.

Face coverings should not be used by children under the age of 3 or those who may find it difficult to manage them correctly (example they have exisiting breathing issues). Please be mindful that the wearing of a face covering may inhibit communication with people who rely on lip reading, facial expressions and clear sound.

Vulnerable people
Certain groups of people are at increased risk of severe disease from coronavirus (COVID-19), including all people aged 70 or over. Such individuals are advised to stay at home as much as possible and, if they do go out, to take particular care to minimise contact with others outside of their household.

For more information direct from the UK Government website choose the link shown below -

Latest Guidance Community Facilities

Check to see if the hall may be available for hire

You can see inside the hall and take a look at some of the features and benefits it has to offer. If you would like to make a bookings enquiry, you are most welcome to contact us. To see what availability there may be at the time you are thinking about, please check our online diary which should show you if the hall may be free at the time you would like to hire it.

Check Diary

We are always busy which is great. We have over 20 regular hirer groups who use the facilities each week and at weekends. If you are looking for availability for casual hire, then we advise you to contact us early.

There may be various reasons why we could not help you with your booking enquiry. We do our best to help most users of the hall, but perhaps there was a prior booking for the date/time you wanted. Or the type of request was not available at our hall. We will advise you of other places to try if we cannot help.

Sorry, but the short answer is no.

Yes we have wi-fi access, with wired access points available in some parts of the building. Hirers can use either 2G or 5G fibre optics with speeds up to 400MB.