Any other church hall users?

[SazzJ]

We are having issues! Anyone else?

 

I have been demanded into removing storage units that have been in place 4 years as permission wasn't granted! It was as was part of the capital access grant!

 

I have to remove all displays as they want no sense of ownership in the rooms!

 

I have to remove any item from the premises that does not fit under the stage - impossible to have anything as it's so small!

 

I have massively worried about a child coming in with additional needs who has a large chair that needs stored but won't fit into any of our storage due to size

 

The other local preschool have been told they have no premises from September either as the vicar wants to have lunches for the elderly so he's turfing them out!

 

Think ours wants us out but are just trying to creat problems.

 

Oh and an ongoing mice issue which we have hassled them for 4 years to deal with and I was told well only suggesting is mouse traps and I am not prepared to deal with them are you' so I took action has not gone down well at all!

 

So stressed but venues and lack of primary schools in area (only 1 and no nursery attached) means were struggling to keep find something in the area for parents and children

 

These issues have suddenly appeared from no where too

[narnia]

SNAP!! You could be describing my setting..............

[Rea]

We're ok except we've got rats/mice. Its something thats always at the back of the mind though because we've never been allowed a rent agreement even though we've been thereb40 odd years! Hope you manage go sort something, is there room outside for a shed?

[lynned55]

We're also in a church hall. have been here for nearly 50 years and never had (also not allowed!) a rental agreement. In my experience (we are in RC church) so much depends on the priest/vicar. Since I have worked here we are now on the fourth priest and each one that has come has brought in new rules and regulations for us. This one (so far!) has been the easiest to work with - been here nearly 3 years now. The previous one was a nightmare, was very particular, also wouldn't allow us to display anything when we weren't using the hall and really for the five years he was there really made our life extremely difficult. We had a mice problem a while back (unfortunately I think this goes with church halls) he was very good and we now have a pest control company that comes in once a month to check and lay bait as required. We do have a fairly good relationship with him but I am very aware this could change at any time and that also he could go in the next couple of years and we could get someone who didn't want us there. However I do wish these parish priests would stop and think sometimes that yes they maybe in charge of the church and church halls but they when they move on most of us will still be here.

You have my sympathies , not really sure what advice i can give that would help.

[SazzJ]

No change of vicar (she's part time and works at other churches) and been in post 1 year so not sure where all this has cone from.

 

We have changed from charity and community interest group and they want proof!

 

Supposedly there is some agreement the keep making reference too but I have not seen it! Nor has my colleague so have kindly requested a copy or a new one to be drawn up

[Guest]

In church hall but O so different from you guys. The church own the pre school, I manage it.

They are so supportive, they realise that what we do is an asset, it brings families into the church occasionally .

It gives them a good regular income

I have boards up I use blue tack I have a wonderful sand pit built in the garden, we chalk on the walls and paths

 

Very lucky and I don't have answers for you except to talk to your vicars, I spent long time building a relationship with them and the PCC

 

Good luck, ps we have no mice problem touch wood

[Guest]

I do not work in a church hall and whilst we have our own problems I realise how lucky we are when I read your posts about church halls.

 

Good luck folks! You're doing great jobs I wish I could help or at least say something useful!!

[eyfs1966]

oh this sounds so familiar...... the problem is that there is no "right of tennancy" within a consecrated building, so we are totally exposed.... sad, so very sad.

[Fredbear]

I so empathise with all hall users and the dilemmas that may occur.

I have not heard of the Capital Access Grant, but we too had mice infested storage in a Parish Hall.

We applied for the Capital Building Grant and secured funding for new storage and other facilities for the hall.

Part of the process was that we had to become an incorporated company, we kept our charitable status, but also that the Parish Council had to provide us with a rental agreement for 15 years after the grant was agreed.( if our particular group dissolved it also had to offer to any other Early Years Provision in that time).

I think the difference is that your facilities are on church grounds and are governed by the diocese.

I would suggest an open dialogue together with the church leaders to ascertain how you can move forward for everyone's benefit.

Wishing you good luck with this.

[Guest]

I can sympathise, Im the supervisor of a Pre-School which runs in the village hall.. we are lucky that we have such a big space however we are up against problems every day, storage for us is a massive problem as everything has to be packed away at the end of each session when the hall is used by other groups. Our building is goverened by the village hall committee who without sounding disrespectful must be all over a 100 years old & have absolutely no idea of the implications of running a pre-school... to say its frustrating is a massive understatement! Good luck

[sunnyday]

I can sympathise, Im the supervisor of a Pre-School which runs in the village hall.. we are lucky that we have such a big space however we are up against problems every day, storage for us is a massive problem as everything has to be packed away at the end of each session when the hall is used by other groups. Our building is goverened by the village hall committee who without sounding disrespectful must be all over a 100 years old & have absolutely no idea of the implications of running a pre-school... to say its frustrating is a massive understatement! Good luck

Hi Karen - can you become a member of the Hall Management Committee - trust me it's worthwhile! :1b

[Guest]

Not a bad plan although im not sure i could stomach sitting listening to the debate whether to have a windoww cleaner etc.. I do have a good relationship with one or two members but its my chairperson whhogenerally attends their meeting and often asks for things (which are generally no use to me) and gets their backs up... don't get me wrong there are in my opinion advantages to being in a village hall, if something goes wrong or needs fixing i just make a phone call and its sorted with no cost to the pre-school.

I think i will look into this though, thanks

[SazzJ]

They only have a part time vicar, she does one service every few weeks. She isn't the one laying down the laws with us I don't think.

 

Hmm might have to see if we have some kind of rental agreement due to the funding grant.

 

All the funding was under one umberella I think so all capital access/capital building funding is the same.

 

Meeting arranged for Monday so at least a start

[thumperrabbit]

We are a village hall and sometimes go through tough times, where their committee never stop having a go at us about the slightest thing, but then at other times they amaze me with their generosity!

We also have a rep (my hubby!) on their committee which does help relationships.

But a lot of the time I can see the problems from both sides - eg storage, for pre-school we don't have enough, from a village hall point of view we have more than the rest of the users put together! Chalking and digging in the garden from a preschool point of view we want to do, but for the village hall it is a definite no,no as in their eyes it is a mess, and I get that - we are in a no win situation.

 

I think the days of being in this sort of packaway setting are getting tougher, as we have so many demands for meeting Ofsted requirements .... Oh to have a building to ourselves

[sunnyday]

 

Meeting arranged for Monday so at least a start

Just wanted to say 'good luck' :1b

[SazzJ]

Were on the hunt for something longer term that would mean we don't need to be pack away. Just were City Centre location more or less (5 mins walk) so in terms of community buildings or a building that is suitable is few and far between

 

I can see things for both points of view but I am struggling to understand why something's have suddenly become an issue when they have been that way for so long. We too don't have enough storage but as you said have more than others but I am about to loose all that too So have under the stage which is maybe approx 5 meters by 2 meters if that and only a meter high Plus a mouse issue under the stage too

[narnia]

Were on the hunt for something longer term that would mean we don't need to be pack away. Just were City Centre location more or less (5 mins walk) so in terms of community buildings or a building that is suitable is few and far between

 

I can see things for both points of view but I am struggling to understand why something's have suddenly become an issue when they have been that way for so long. We too don't have enough storage but as you said have more than others but I am about to loose all that too So have under the stage which is maybe approx 5 meters by 2 meters if that and only a meter high Plus a mouse issue under the stage too

This REALLY is the same for us, and it's sad!

[flowlow]

Its so sad and so sorry to hear this. We do have quite a good relationship with our hall committee (its a village hall) but we have in the past had problems. we managed to help them get a grant to do the hall up by staying there rather than going to the school and because we are regular users they do want to keep us happy otherwise the hall would fold. We do have some issues though like getting kicked out for art shows and elections which often means enforced shut downs, although we have taken issue with this recently.

I think people forget two things, they were young once and might have family that would want a good pre-school/nursery and also that children are the future of any community what we teach them now will be what they bring to the future.

[sunnyday]

I wondered if it would help at all if I told our story.......

Some 19 years ago we were a well established and popular pre-school - working out of our Village Hall which was not much more than a shed really, with all the problems that comes with that - mice, damp etc. we only managed to 'keep going' because a new, huge Village Hall was being built. I made sure that we were part of the fund raising and planning process for this venture - so imagine my absolute horror when I realised that certain members of the 'build committee' were making noises about us not being welcome in the new building......

I was not going to just 'roll over' and accept this. I wrote a letter to each and every other member of the 'build committee' and copied in the Parish Council. My letter was very detailed and it had the desired affect :1b soon there were 'mutterings' that came back to me about how awful it would be if our pre-school had to close.......I also invited everyone 'in' to see us at work - actually nobody ever came!

Next hurdle was the 'rent' - there were some pretty 'fancy figures' being bandied about - so I gave all Committee members + Parish Council a copy of our accounts - I needed them to understand what my income over expenditure actually looked like.

So......as a consequence' we were accepted as a user group moving over just like anyone else - there was a rent increase but it was manageable, however one committee member (Chair) still really didn't want us and he made things as difficult as he could in the hope that I would give in - ridiculous things such as we are in an upstairs room - no we couldn't ever leave the room set up even though nobody else would be using it, no we couldn't fit a stairgate.......you get the picture.

I resolutely refused to 'give in' and gradually, slowly things began to 'look up' for us - other Committee members soon came to the realisation that we were the highest rent payers, that it was very useful to have someone on 'site' at regular times, we (obviously) cleaned up after ourselves (and others) - the Chair retired (not gracefully ) and took his wife who was secretary with him!

Long story short I took over as secretary and bookings clerk - it is time consuming but boy has it paid off. We now have our lovely room just for us - hooray - it's great to not be 'pack-away'! :1b Furthermore we are valued by our community - all age groups!

We do not take advantage, we still clean areas that we don't even use and generally try hard not to bother anyone! :1b

I do know that without my persistence and general bl**dy mindedness we would have either never been 'allowed' in the new building or would have been 'driven out'.

Goodness that went on - can you tell I'm avoiding my 'paperwork'!

[Cait]

We are in a Methodist Church, originally in the back room but now sole users of the whole building. We have a rental agreement and always have had. The Methodists have a standard rental agreement which with the agreement of both sides can be tailored to fit. Without this in place we couldn't have had all the grants for building work - heaters etc that we have had done.

[SazzJ]

Thanks for that Sunnyday. I know my colleague will not back down!

 

I suspect there is some sort of agreement in terms of the grant so will contact the council who maybe able to assist and ask previous committee members.

 

Just don't feel we are part of there plans and as a result there going to make things extremely difficult for us

[SazzJ]

Cait my little one is sat waving back at your profile avatar lol