Latest News

Christmas is on its way………..

Hi Everyone

This is our Newsletter to you all which is quite lengthy this time…….so find the right moment to read all about our updates to you ☺

The Booking Secretaries are delighted to confirm the new Hallmaster booking system is almost ready to be fully launched, which will make it possible to process your bookings and invoices online.

You will be able to see availability, and make booking requests at any time of the day or night. In addition, by using our automatic system it allows you to create your own account and also add or amend an existing account. You will be able to view your bookings and any invoices at any time.

A limited number of hirers, who used the Village Hall in October, are our first to receive the verification email link to set their own passwords. We will complete further tests and check any feedback with them.

We are writing today to prepare you for the change and to give you the opportunity to go to our website and play with the diary and familiarize yourselves. Your booking secretaries will guide you through and write again when the system is ready to bring you on board.

DO NOT PLACE ANY BOOKINGS YET UNTIL YOU HEAR FROM US.
It’s a bit like Strictly Come Dancing ….your votes will not count!!!

We have also in recent months invested the money which has been necessary to make your Village Hall Covid safe. It has been a big investment which has brought about change, but our hirers have given us so much positive feed-back. If you go to our website from time to time you will be able to read the Covid Terms and Conditions, which are updated regularly when necessary.

You will learn it has been necessary to close the Griffin Room as it is not suitable for social distancing requirements. The kitchens are closed for hygiene and social distancing measures and there are specific zones for using the toilet facilities and also the flow of people. There are several automatic hand sanitizers and cleaning products as well as a dedicated recovery area, should anyone become unwell. It is ready with all the necessary emergency numbers to call and with first aid equipment on hand. For those who have smartphones with the NHS Tracker app you can also use the QR code.

All of this has been built and achieved on team work with you and us working together to keep your Village Hall available both for fun, health and mental welfare. We would like to thank the hirers who returned to experience the ‘new norm’ and how positively it has been received. It is truly outstanding.

The Trustees of your Village Hall have been as active as ever during recent months and are as keen as ever to plan for the future.

With this positive energy in mind we are looking forward to us reopening at the earliest opportunity. All the hard work has been completed and therefore to reopen will be far easier as we now have the right protocols in place.

What worked really well was inviting each individual hirer to come along for a one on one chat to discuss the needs of their group and to walk through the Main Hall or the Club Room, which also helped them to visualize numbers.

Your Village Hall is giving, free of charge, a 15 minute buffer at the beginning and end of each booking session to allow for the extra time required to clean, set up and put away. This obviously will have an effect on our timetable as we are not able to use the Griffin Room. Some Clubs have decided not to return and some are not sure. We anticipate a slow return without too many challenges.

We continue to keep the building secure and the grounds tidy. The heating is set low when the building is empty, and we take further economic zoning measures in each room when in use. It is still cleaned regularly and there are procedures in place for deep cleans when required.

We can not emphasise enough how these difficult times have brought so many of us together to find a way forward. This is reflected in how we look forward to welcoming new Trustees to help in building further into the future. If you or someone you know, would like to learn more about this role please invite them to write to our secretary jake.ranyard@gmail.com. Jane will be delighted to help. It is a time of change and some of our existing older Trustees will be stepping down after many years of service. It is important they are able to pass on their knowledge to others. You can always come along to one of our monthly get togethers to have a look. We are hoping to see responses from all age groups. We are a friendly lot and like to discuss all ideas whether they are good, bad or ugly!

I hope you feel this newsletter has been helpful and restored your spirits that village life will return. There are many of us who are in a difficult place, but there are also those who will be here when we return to a more normal shape of life.

This message is being sent to our hirers including those who are helping us to launch. We will write again when we are ready to tell you more about the new system, but if in the meantime you have any questions please write to us on ferringvh@gmail.com. When writing please make it a new message as this will be easier for us to see each one individually.

We send you our very best wishes and hope you are all staying safe and well, and close with a photo of the Chairman of our Trustees laying a wreath at Ferring War Memorial.