Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What Craft Units are on the site?
A. Many of our phone calls are about the craft units and it is important to note that they are independent from us. Whilst they share the site with us, we do not endorse them or have any control over who rents the units. Please contact them individually for more information: https://www.viablescraftcentre.com/ You can also visit their Facebook page here. To enquire about becoming a tenant on site, please contact Oliver.Ward@basingstoke.gov.uk.

Q Are you a part of, or run by, the council?
A. No, we are a charity organisation making use of a council owned building so that we can serve the community. We generate all our own income through hiring of the halls/rooms and by running our own activities, events and services. We don't work to make a profit. When we have surplus of funds, this is all put back into the things we provide to benefit local people. The Association is run by Trustees who are all volunteers.

Q. Can we use debt and credit cards, as well as cash, to pay for drinks at the bar?
A. Yes. The bar at Viables accepts both cash and card payments.

Q. Where can our guests smoke?
A. There are 2 designated smoking areas. One is at the front of the main hall where the double exit doors are. The other is round the back of the building near the double doors. Please do NOT smoke directly in front of any of the entrances/exits. Many of our users may have health conditions that are greatly affected by smoke and it is not pleasant for our staff or users to walk through.

Q. Why do I have to pay a deposit? Is it returnable?
A. When you make a booking with us, we will hold it for 48 hours until you make payment, allowing you to make a decision and finalise your plans ahead of time. If we have not received confirmation in this time, we may remove your booking. Your invoice will be sent to you on booking so you will have all the details you need to make payment of £50 (or the full amount if the total is less the £50). This deposit is used to hold the booking for you, with the remainder payable a month before your event. Your invoice is also likely to contain a security deposit of equal value (or £100 if this is for an evening hire) to the deposit you pay in case anything is broken at your event. As long as everything is left clean, in good condition and the terms and conditions have been followed, this will be returned to you within 10 days.

Q. Can I bring my own alcohol?
A. Viables - The Association holds a premises licence, and employs a trusted company to run the bar on their behalf. To protect the licence the Association rarely gives permission to bring your own alcohol, and instead provide a fully stocked and staffed bar for a modest fee. The Association accepts that a toasting drink i.e. champagne is sometimes required for events held here, and will usually give permission for that, but it must be given in writing. The bar manager will charge a customary small corkage fee per bottle.

Eastrop - at this venue you can bring your own alcohol as long as it is NOT sold on the premises. However, if you would like a bar, you can apply for a TEN notice for your event so that a reputable bar company can provide and sell alcohol. We would need a copy of that before you proceed.

Q What is included in the hire?
A. For the Main Hall and Four Lanes Room, you have access to plenty of tables and chairs. Each room has its own supply. The kitchen is for use by both halls if occupied. It is quite a large kitchen, and has plenty of mugs and tea urns for both halls. There is a microwave, fridge, freezer and cooker with oven to use. There are hatches which open to the Main Hall and Four Lanes Room so they can both be served from a hatch if required. There is free parking on site and disabled toilet facilities. The Seamour Room and Osborne room have kitchenette facilities. The Osborne Room has its own toiledt facilities and the Seamour has external access to the toilets via an outdoor access ramp.

Eastrop - all parties are booked into the Entire Hall option. Other activities may take place in the Poppy room. For all spaces here, the main kitchen is available, as are chairs and tables. There is free parking immediately outside and also at the nearby Eastrop Car Park, just a stone's throw away.

Q What time can I get in to set up??
A. Earliest entry is at the start of the time you have booked for. We often have back to back hirers so any time you require access to the hall must be booked and paid for. For example, if you want to set the hall up and decorate, you must iuncllude that time in your booking.

Q Where are the chairs and tables kept?
A. The Main Hall has a large store cupboard on the rear wall of the hall where you will find tables and chairs. The Four Lanes Room has a cupboard with lots of tables in, in the first cupboard on the left. All the chairs are stacked in groups of 6 along the wall. The Seamour Room has chairs all around the table and a few extra stacked in the corner. The Osborne Room has chairs and tables in the storage area. The Eastrop hall has tables available in the large storage area and the chairs are on a moveable racking system. The Poppy room has chairs within the room and tables can be accessed from the main hall storage area, with one table residing in the room at all times.

Q. Do I have to clean up after my hire?
A. Yes you do. The room you hire must be left swept and tidy. There are brooms in storage cupboards and mops in the kitchen and you must take your rubbish out to the bin store. The bin store areas are now locked so we ask that you bag up your rubbish and leave it tidily in the room unless a site supervisor is able to open the bin store for you. Similarly please make sure there is no rubbish or glasses left out at the front of the building. If the Association finds it must employ the cleaners to clear up after your hire, you will be charged for it. At Eastrop, we ask that you take your rubbish away with you after an event as waste facilities there is limited.

Q. Do I need any keys to get in? Who locks up?
A. Our caretaker will come and unlock the entrance at the start of your hire time, and will let you into your room. The digi locks do have codes and are changed regularly. A site supervisor will also lock up after you, but to help us maintain security, please engage the digi lock if you leave before she/he arrives. We also have an access control system for our regular hirers so they can access the facility once we have unlocked the main doors.

Q. Can we use the large field out the back?
A. The field we call the paddock, is owned by the council. If you wish to use it please contact BDBC events team. The council do not provide electricity hook up if you use the paddock on its own and do not ‘rent’ out the toilet block.

Q. Can I have a bouncy castle?
A The main hall will fit in a children’s bouncy castle and many of our hirers have them. All hirers must find a reputable company which has insurance and the castle should never be left unattended. Any such activity is your responsibility. We also have our own bouncy castle that is for use by children only up to a height of 1.3m. It is 15ft x 12 ft and £50 to hire. This is currently out of use.

Q. Can I have a smoke machine?
A. Unfortunately not. The new fire alarms are very sensitive and detect heat as well as smoke. Smoke machines will set off the alarms and the kitchen and barhatches will automatically close. When the alarm is re set, they will open after 10 minutes. It causes a lot of disruption and we therefore say no to smoke machines.

Q. How many people can you fit in the Main Hall?
A. The main hall fits 200 people standing, but if all your guests are sat at tables, it is nearer to 150, as recommended by health and safety guidelines. At Eastrop, the maximum number is 120.

Q. How many people can the Four Lanes Room hold?
A. It can hold a maximum of 75 people standing, but if using chairs and tables, health and safety guidelines recommend no more than 55.

Q. Will there be any Association staff on hand?
A. Not always. There is a contact number on the main and office door should you require assistance when the centre office is closed. If you do need urgent help, do not hesitate to contact them.

Q. When are your opening hours?
A. The office at Viables is manned from Monday to Friday 9am until 3pm. The halls can be hired from 9am until midnight. We can extend the hire time 12 times a year to 1am – but there is an extra fee involved as we have to employ someone to lock up for us as this later time. At Eastrop, the latest you can hire until is 23.00. The office hours there are 9.30 - 13.00 Monday andTuesday; 9.30 - 12.30 Wednesday to Friday.

Q. Do you have any green space outside?
A. Viables, unfortunately not. At Eastrop, we have a beautiful outside garden area with a stone built barbecue area.

Q. I just need a meeting room; do you have any smaller rooms?
A. Yes, we have a small space named the Seamour Room, which has comfortable chairs and a large meeting room table. There is a white board and an A3 pad stand for your use. You may bring a projector with you and there is a kitchenette with a kettle and lots of mugs, glasses and a small urn. It also has a flat screen for use in meetings or training. We also have the Poppy Room at Eastrop where you have access to the main kitchen, a flipchart and whiteboard. A projector can be provided if requested in advance.

Q When do I have to pay for my hire? What methods of payment do you accept?
A. The deposit is required when placing the booking and the rest is paid no later than 4 weeks in advance of you hire date. You are welcome to pay the whole balance on booking if you prefer to get it out the way. We accept bank transfers, online card payments, card payments over the phone or cash. We encourage bank transfers as they do not involve as much administration or charges to the association.

Q What should I expect from an Indoor Boot Sale?
A. If you hire a table at one of our indoor boot sales, we provide the table and 2 chairs. These are set up ready for you on your arrival. We ask that you unload and then ideally move your car to allow for any buyers to park closer to the building. This benefits you as well as them. Please do not arrive earlier than 1pm as we are not likely to be ready for you. When you enter the hall, you can select any table that suits you (unless otherwsie marked should someone book more than one table for the event.) Refreshments will be available for a small donation. The doors open to the public at 1.30pm and will close at 3.30pm. We aks that you are clear of the hall by 4pm as we may well have other hirers arriving from that point. Please do not leave items behind as this will cost us to dispose of and as a charity, this is not something we can afford to do.

Q How do your craft fairs operate?
A. All stalls must be booked in advance and we require a copy of Public Liability Insurance, along with a simple risk assessment, for which we can provide a template. Stalls are £15 each, payable at the time of booking, and are non-refundable within 6 weeks of the event. This is because we will have had to turn people away and may not then be able to fill the space at short notice. We do ask that you help us to conitnue to fundraise by providing a small item for our raffle if you are able to. We are a charity and we raise funds throughout the year to support our services for those in need in the local area - Memory Club, SEND Tots, Weigh and Play, etc.

Q Why am I contacting a Viables email address to book the Roger Morris Centre?
A. Viables Community Association manages both buildings as one organisation. Therefore, all email addresses take you through to our Viables accounts.

If the answer to your question is not here, please consider contacting us. For information please see the Contact Us page.