Summary of Crawley Baptist Church Lettings Policy

1. Encouraging the use of Premises

Crawley Baptist Church (CBC) want to see the premises utilised within the community of Crawley, through church activities, church sponsored activities and suitable community activities which help to build bridges between the church and the local community.
Our attitude towards an application for the use of our premises will be a positive one. We will seek to encourage appropriate organisations to use the premises for meetings and activities, where such meetings are complementary to the church’s regular activities. We will not, however, accept bookings for activities which are in conflict with the Christian gospel and the church’s vision statement or will prevent our regular activities from functioning in full. CBC may however request references from a new user before agreeing a booking.

2. Charging Policy

We will normally charge for the use of the premises by external organisations which have no direct link with Crawley Baptist Church; however charges may be waived or reduced at the discretion of the leadership team. A schedule of rates is therefore applicable to defray additional cleaning, heating and wear and tear costs and this schedule will be reviewed annually.
There will be occasions when it will not be appropriate for the standard fees to be levied. Such situations will be reviewed by the leadership team when either a reduction or waiving of the fees may be considered. In such cases the Hirer is invited to make an appropriate donation to CBC if appropriate.
Charges are per morning afternoon or evening session and range from £10.00 for a small meeting room to £60.00 for the sanctuary.

3. Kitchen use / Refreshments

Use of the Kitchens must be separately approved. Kitchens may be used for the preparation of Tea / Coffee refreshments by approved personnel and with the prior agreement of the Catering Manager. It will be the responsibility of the hirer to provide the refreshment materials unless agreed otherwise in the booking confirmation. Use of the kitchens for the preparation of food for CBC meetings may only be undertaken by persons holding a current Hygiene Certificate and subject to the approval of the CBC Catering Manager. It is the responsibility of an external hirer to ensure that any persons using the kitchens are suitably trained in the preparation and serving of food. Any breakages must be reported immediately in writing and will be subject to an additional charge. Catering for meetings will not normally be available on days when the Rainbow Lounge is open (normally Wednesdays and Thursdays) unless specifically agreed with the Catering Manager.

4. Behaviour

As a church we seek to be open and welcoming to the community around us and welcome all users who respect the CBC values and vision of reaching out to the community. Out of respect to other users and our neighbours in West Green, we expect all users to conduct themselves in a reasonable and courteous manner whilst on the Premises. We request that hirers leave the rooms in a clean and tidy state following their activity ensuring that all rubbish is put into bins provided and tables and chairs are neatly stacked for ultimate storage by a CBC representative.

5. Car Park

Note: Use of the Church car Park is available to hirers. However please note the following:
a) The Car Park is limited to 50 places and is on a first come first served basis unless specifically agreed otherwise in writing at the time of booking.
b) Street parking in the vicinity of the church is restricted during daytime hours Monday to Saturday
c) Parking is strictly at the owner’s risk. The Church can accept no liability whatsoever for cars parked in its Car Park

6. Health and Safety

Whilst CBC will take steps to ensure the premises are safe to use, it is the responsibility of the hirer to ensure that a suitably qualified First Aider is present throughout their meeting, and that the CBC Fire Action plan is fully understood.

Note: A fully detailed copy of the CBC Premises Lettings Policy is available here.