Planned partial re-opening
Following the change in government permissions and specifically the excellent guidance offered by ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), members of the Silver Jubilee Hall Committee have recently met (at a distance!) to discuss the potential for a partial re-opening of the Silver Jubilee Hall in Down Thomas.
It should be said that our over-arching objective is to be able to offer the valuable community benefits the hall brings in line with government permissions and critically with the safety and well-being of both our potential hirers and the team of volunteers that support the administration, maintenance and cleaning of the hall at the forefront of our plans.
It hardly needs saying that there are a number of challenges with opening and things will look very different to “pre-Covid” -  with certain areas and facilities out of bounds to minimise the risk of transmission and the regular requirements for deep cleaning.  Initially, also there are of course restrictions to the type and ‘size’ of hirings we are permitted to accept.  However we feel it’s important to take gradual steps to ‘get the show back on the road’!
We are therefore monitoring the changing situation both at a national level (i.e. government advice and permissions) and also locally, in terms of transmission and infection rates, and will adjust our plans accordingly.  As at the time of writing (beginning August), we are talking to some or our regular users about a potential return to the hall, where their activities and group size are permitted.  In the event that this is deemed desirable and possible, we are hoping to open the doors for these limited clubs / activities from 1 September, subject to acceptable risk assessments being completed and agreed to.  For absolute clarity, we are sorry we are not yet able to accept bookings for private parties / events.
We strongly hope that the progress made nationally will enable us to follow these initial plans – however will continue to monitor and adjust plans accordingly and updates will appear on our web and Facebook pages.