The village hall in Pant will reopen on Monday 14 September, with a raft of essential Covid-19 health and safety measures in place, and bookings are being taken from Monday 7 September.
The hall is reopening in line with Covid-19 compliance requirements and is following the necessary guidelines laid down in law. That means it won’t be run in exactly the same way as it used to, but after a good deal of hard work and thought, the committee has decided that the hall is now in a position to take bookings once more.
Some of the new measures in place include no-touch sanitiser in the entrance hall, extended time for cleaning before and after bookings and reduced event capacity. Unfortunately, the kitchen will remain out of use (except for access to drinking water) for the foreseeable future. Face coverings must be worn at all times in the hall and two metre social distancing maintained as far as possible.
Hirers will of course be responsible for ensuring their own compliance with all coronavirus laws and guidance, before, during and after their events.
Sean, Chair of the hall committee, said: “We recognise that there will be significant constraints for any events and activities that take place in the hall when we reopen, but as a committee, we have worked hard to make sure that appropriate Covid-19 safety measures are now in place for those hirers who would like to return.
“Some events, such as those which involve singing or social dancing (rather than dance tuition), aren’t yet allowed, but we have had a number of enquiries from people who are looking to hire the hall, and we hope they will return when we reopen. It’s not going to be ‘business as usual’ for quite some time, but we believe that with the measures we have put in place, we are now in a position to reopen Pant Memorial Hall, which is a valued community asset for the village.”
While the hall has been closed over the last five months, the committee has remained active. A major new lighting system was installed in July, replacing the worn out old lights in the hall, with thanks to a National Lottery grant. In addition, a new Bluetooth speaker system for easy music connection is now available at the hall.
Adds Sean: “We understand of course that not everyone will want – or be able – to come back to the hall at the moment, but even if it is a slow start for us, we are just pleased to be opening our doors once again and we look forward to seeing people back again soon.”
For more information about the hall reopening, the measures in place and the steps that hirers now need to take, as well as how to book, please visit the Pant Memorial Hall website.