Bookings
Last Updated on Thursday, 12 January 2012 23:11
Making Bookings
Please read through our booking policy & other booking information on this page below before contacting us to request a booking, thank you
Booking policy | About the space | Cost | Your commitments & our commitments
How to make booking requests & how we deal with them
Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to reach the volunteer who co-ordinates booking requests & the calendar. If email is not an option for you, then leave a message on our answerphone (0151 703 6806) and we'll reply within a few days to let you know we got your message. Alternatively, come to one of our meetings to propose & discuss your booking request or event idea.
All new booking requests will be forwarded to our collective discussion email list for consideration with regard to our booking policy principles (see below), practical factors (such as a keyholder volunteer being free to open up for you) and calendar availability.
- If there are no objections raised up to 5 days after the request is sent to the collective email list then we'll get back to you to confirm the booking and will add it into our website the calendar
- If objections are raised then we will contact you when a decision one way or the other has been reached. Sometimes we may decide to put off a decision until a request can be discussed at our monthly meeting.
Subsequent bookings won't need to wait for collective consideration (although will still be forwarded to the email list for reference), and will usually be confirmed by the bookings volunteer subject to the space being free and a keyholder being available.
When contacting us please let us know:
- The date and the time of the meeting/event.
- What the meeting/event is & how many people (roughly) you expect to attend
- Information about your group/organisation (if any)
- If you need to use any of our equipment (see below)
- Whether the meeting/event is open to anyone interested or just existing group members.
- (for small meetings/events) Whether or not you are ok if another group holds a meeting in the social centre at the same time as yours (we have 2 rooms).
- If anyone attending your meeting/event happens to be one of our keyholders (so that there is no need for a keyholder to come in to open up and close up).
Booking Policy - Who Can Use the Space
We created the social centre to be part of efforts to bring about a fair, free and sustainable society - one without hierarchy, discrimination, or the exploitation of people, animals and the planet for profit. We believe this is only possible through the direct action of ordinary people against capitalism & the state.
The centre exists to support anyone acting to defend themselves and their communities against attacks by business and government, locally and globally, and those acting in solidarity with them, through direct action, campaigning work, education, and sharing skills and resources.
The social centre is not just a meeting space; it is intended as an example. We work non-hierarchically, we maintain our independence as far as is possible, we claim to represent no one but ourselves and seek to facilitate, not control, the resistance of others. We expect respect for each other; the centre should be a place of diversity and safety for all - discrimination, oppression and violence will not be tolerated.
We prioritise groups who share this vision and groups who are the most excluded, who have least access to resources and meeting spaces yet need them most to fight back against oppression.
Whilst we seek to be broadly inclusive and do not demand explicit commitments to these principles from groups using the centre, we will refuse groups who stand against any of this.
All individuals are welcome.
The short version!:
The space is for people organising themselves - ideally for working for positive social change, but a directly political purpose isn't essential (community & sociability are also what a social centre is about!)
Some things this policy excludes: political parties, religious/spiritual events and organisations, state-connected or for-profit organisations, and activities for personal gain. (Any money charged/requested at events/meetings should only be to fundraise for a non-profit cause or organisation, or to cover expenses involved in putting on the event/meeting).
Notes about social events: Social events with lots of people involve a lot of work and responsibility, so we only take these on if enough social centre volunteers are able to commit to being involved and helping. Social events should be fundraisers, either to help the centre itself or some other cause. The space is not generally available to be booked for private events, but requests for private event bookings from volunteers and people who regularly use the space will be considered.
About the space, facilities & access
We have 2 rooms, plus a kitchen area:
- the big room - holds around 30-40 people seated and 70-80 people standing. Has a projector & screen.
- the small room which is also the cafe area - holds up to around 15-20 people seated (it is permanently set up with tables & chairs). Note that access to this room is through the big room.
Note re Saturdays: the small room & kitchen are in use during Saturday for the cafe, but the main room can be still be booked.
The kitchen - you are welcome to use the kitchen to make hot drinks and to make food if wished. Please leave donations for any food & drink used, and wash-up & tidy after yourselves.
We are a vegan space - please respect this and do not use our kitchen to prepare or store food that derives from animals in any way (that is, no meat, fish, eggs, dairy).
Soya milk & other non-dairy milks are available in the fridge.
We have kettle, urn, cooker, microwave, pots, pans, plates etc & cutlery.
Equipment available - we have a projector & screen, which can be used with a DVD player (also available) or hooked up to a laptop or other computer. We have 2 computers that you are welcome to use. We also have wifi internet access. We have a PA and various audio equipment.
Please specify in advance if you need to use any of this so that we can make sure that a knowledgeable volunteer can be on hand to help. (If using the projector with a laptop we recommend that you arrange to try it out before the event to make sure it works ok with the projector)
Accessibility - The space is unfortunately not completely accessible due to the limitations of the building. We are in the basement of the building, and usual access is via stairs. A lift is available, and will fit a person in a wheelchair but not an additional person. The floor in the space is uneven in many places. The toilet in the social centre is not wheelchair accessible, but a wheelchair-accessible toilet is available on the second floor of the building and can be reached using the lift.
Keys, access and security - a keyholder volunteer will come in to open and close up for groups using the space, unless someone in your group happens to be a keyholder. For regular user groups, it is possible to borrow keys to open and close up for yourselves, but the keys must be returned promptly. To get into the social centre your members/guests should ring the white doorbell for the basement. Please be aware that the building is not a public building and so the front door should never be left unlocked and you should only admit your own members/guests into the building.
Cost of using our space
We receive no funding and are completely volunteer-run, therefore we rely on donations for using our space to cover our running costs.
We aim to keep the space affordable, but if cost is still an issue please ask. We are happy to accept all contributions in the form of regular volunteering, donations of equipment & resources and other kinds of non-monetary help. We ask funded groups to pay more than unfunded groups.
Suggested donation guidelines:
small group meeting - £5 unfunded / £10 funded
large/public meeting/event - £10 unfunded / £20 funded
all-day booking - £20 unfunded / £40 funded
fundraiser/other social - £25 unfunded / £50 funded
"Funded" means that your group/organisation has some kind of relatively stable income - e.g. from grants, a substantial amount of supporter donations, or from income-generating activity.
(Please let us know if you require any kind of invoice or receipt for your payment.)
Our Commitments and Your Commitments
Things we expect of people using our space
- to set up the space yourselves and leave it clean and tidy afterwards.
- to ensure your members/guests act with care and respect towards people and the space - see our safer spaces policy on display in the centre.
- to take responsibility for answering the doorbell or minding the building frontdoor, keeping it locked at all times and admitting only your own members/guests into the building (anyone else should ring the bell for the part of the building they are visiting)
- to ensure your members/guests respect other users of the building & keep out of other areas of the building.
- to let us know us if a booking needs to be cancelled (particularly for regularly repeated bookings), so that we can cancel it in our calendar, and so that the keyholder volunteer who would be opening up for you will know they don't need to come in.
Things we will do
- At least one social centre volunteer will be on hand at all times, although the privacy of meetings will be respected.
- We will open up and lock up the space.
- We will help operate any equipment that we supply.