Memorial Hall, Village Hall, The Institute – whatever we call it, Pant Memorial Hall is the community venue for Pant and is there for all to use.
Like most village halls, we are volunteer-run which is why our fees are so low and we ask for some ‘audience participation’. Feel free to join in!
What are the facilities?
Take our virtual tour on this page.
The building is bigger on the inside! It contains:
- entrance hall with cloaks area
- large main room (approx 160 square metres), with lots of windows and lit by modern LED panels. Suspended Canadian maple floor, perfect for dancing. Acoustic panels in the ceiling so no echo. Presented empty for space, cleanliness and flexibility. Bluetooth speaker system, microphone available on request.
- side room (approx 25 square metres). With tables and chairs.
- toilets (ladies, gents, disabled) leading off the entrance hall. No-touch sensor lights, modern hand driers, hot water and soap (of course)
- bar and utility area: with drinks fridge, glass wash sink, serving hatch to main hall and access to our cleaning cupboard. USB charging points and controls for bluetooth speakers
- store rooms containing 94 chairs, (including 55 new ones with padded vinyl seats) 17 fold up tables plus trolleys. Four child-height fold up tables and 20 child-size chairs (all in cheerful colours!) Both storerooms can be accessed from the entrance hall and one also has a door to the main room. No-touch sensor lights in these rooms.
- outside: 17 space off-street car park with two reserved disabled spaces, small gated play area.
- Serving kitchen: microwave, boiling water tap, water heater for washing up, plenty of cutlery and crockery, set of child-friendly plates, bowls, mugs and jugs. Countertop oven at small extra charge. Serving hatch to main hall. 24 champagne flutes (deposit and breakage charge)
What kind of event can happen at the hall?
If it fits in, doesn’t frighten the neighbours and leaves the place as you find it – we can host it! Previous and current regulars include children’s dance classes, tango sessions, psychic events, mindfulness sessions, the women’s institute, fitness classes and poetry workshops. We have hosted lots of children’s parties (there’s room for a low-profile indoor bouncy castle), corporate events, quiz nights, meetings, weddings, wakes and many other things.
How do I book the hall and what does it cost?
Here’s all you need to know on our bookings page.
Are you licensed?
Alcohol: We do not have an alcohol licence. Hirers partying later than 11pm, or selling alcohol (even if you are just asking for donations or contributions), will need to obtain a temporary event notice from Shropshire Council. We can have up to 15 of these a year at the hall – hirers must get confirmation from us before applying to the council, to avoid breaching the limit.
Shropshire Council advise that no TEN is needed if you are providing reasonable amounts of alcohol to your guests free of charge. Please remember that you are responsible for guest behaviour.
Music: village halls of our size are exempt from council music licences. We have our own PRS/PPL music licence which covers family and non-commercial events. Commercial hirers who play copyrighted music will need to obtain their own Phonographic Performance Licence (PPL).
What do I need to bring and what cleaning up do I need to do?
We are and always have been a ‘self-service’ hall, which is why our hire rates are low. We provide all you need for your cleanup. The building is professionally cleaned, but not every day.
All you need to bring are a bag for rubbish, and your own tea-towels if you are using our kitchen. (plus food and items for your event)
For cleaning up, all we ask are five things:
- turn off what you turned on (except heating and sensor lights, which turn themselves off). Please check that you have turned off any switched lights, the boiling water device and all taps.
- take away EVERYTHING that you brought in, including all rubbish and personal items. We have no rubbish collection at any time – litter, lost property etc are now a health hazard! Please explain to your guests that no bins means ‘take your rubbish away’ not ‘leave it for someone else’ – thank you.
- put things back where you found them
- leave the hall as you found it; please sweep up all rooms used, clean up any spills, check toilets and replace any empty toilet rolls. If you do find anything broken/not working, please tell us so we can fix it.
- and…please look after each other. Covid-19 is still very prevalent. Open those windows!
We operate on a trust system. Please don’t enter until your booked time, and make sure that the hall is tidy and vacated by the end of your timeslot, whether or not anyone is in after you. Thank you.
What about phone and wi-fi?
The village phone mast is shared by O2 and Vodafone. Mobiles on networks using those signals will function at the hall although coverage is not guaranteed. We are in a blank spot for EE and 3, so mobiles on those networks will have no signal at the hall. Or use that big red box by the kitchen – yes, it is a working phone box!
There is no wi-fi in the hall. Those on suitable networks can use their own data.
What about parking?
Our car park has 17 spaces, with the two nearest the road reserved for disabled people. If the car park is full, please use Station Road (next left down the hill towards Welshpool). All of the other nearby roads are too narrow for street parking.
Please keep our neighbours happy – don’t block driveways or pavements.
The space at the bottom of the entrance ramp must be kept clear of vehicles as it is the fire exit. The planters and gravel are placed to remind you, and to protect the artwork.
The car park is for hall users ONLY unless other permission is requested in advance. Please play fair with our community, don’t use our car park as storage for your car!
What are your safety arrangements?
We take safety very seriously, as all organisations should. Because we hire out the hall without attending staff (we don’t have any staff!) it is important that hirers read, understand and observe all our safety policies.
Emergency procedures are posted in the hall. You can find our health and safety policy and the information given to hirers on our policies and forms page. We also provide copies in the yellow health and safety folder, on the white cupboard in the side room.
A few more details on our safety arrangements:
- Covid 19: Read all about what we’ve done to help you stay safe on our covid precautions page.
- Fire safety: Full details of our fire safety arrangements are on this page. Maximum capacity is 100 people. We have a fire alarm with smoke and heat detectors, which is tested weekly. The emergency assembly point is signed at the back of the car park. Fire exits are clearly signed and checked regularly. The hall has emergency lighting to current standards which is tested monthly. Extinguishers and fire blankets are provided, although there is no expectation on hirers to use them.
- Smoking: no smoking and no e-cigarettes anywhere on hall premises – the fire alarm will sound if you use either in the hall and you could be charged for the callout. Please go off-site if you wish to smoke; there are public bins nearby for litter.
- First aid: kits are in the kitchen and the small side room – we check them monthly, but please tell us if you use anything. The health and safety folder is also in the side room, containing all the documentation and the accident forms.
- Electrics: No mains gas in Pant, so the hall is all-electric. The installation is checked five yearly as per regulations, by a registered electrician. We conduct PAT tests as appropriate on our own items, and hirers are responsible for ensuring that any electrical items they bring in are safe. Plug-in socket covers are a danger anywhere in the UK and must not be used.
Is the hall accessible to the disabled?
Yes – the building is all on one level with no internal steps. Access to the front is via a ramp, although there is a small sill on the door threshold which some wheelchair users may need assistance getting over.
There is also an emergency exit ramp from the kitchen fire exit, which are double doors with a ‘panic bar’ opening. There are two parking spaces reserved for disabled users.
The front door, main hall entrance, kitchen entrance and side room entrance (from the main hall) are all double doors, although some wheelchair users may need assistance to open them. There is a separate toilet for disabled users with a wide door and a pullcord alarm. All our toilets have sensor lights so no switches to push.
The door to the outside play area is narrow and has two steps leading down. However the play area can be accessed through the gate from the car park, with assistance to open the gate.
Who runs the hall?
The building is maintained and managed by a charity known as Pant Memorial Institute, founded in 1922. The management committee are the trustees of the charity and are all unpaid volunteers. New trustees are always welcome, you can put in as much or as little time as you want – the definition of ‘volunteer’. Charity status and volunteer management keeps the hall hire fees low. Find out more about joining us from this link.
Can I ask another question?
Of course; contact us on secretary@pantmemorialhall.org.uk for general enquiries, bookings@pantmemorialhall.org.uk regarding bookings.
Our volunteer status does mean that we don’t always respond immediately to messages, but we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.