16 Oct 2020
23 Sep 2020
Rule of Six – September 2020
To all users of Braintree Community Centre.
Having received further guidance on the rule of six we can now share with you our updated safety measures.
We are complying fully with the rule of six (following the guideleines available as of 21st September):
No single gathering at the Centre can be of more than six people. Bookings that would normally have more than six attendees will be addressed on an individual basis – please contact the office to discuss how we can accommodate you while adhering to the guidelines.
Face coverings must be worn at all times inside the building – we have face visors available to purchase for £2 from the office, which may be more comfortable than a mask depending on your activity.
Social distancing must be maintained from other users at all times, including within your group of six.
We will adapt to any further guidance as it is announced.
17 Jul 2020
Safety Guidelines
The Centre is now open and able to take bookings, providing they can be run safely. We would ask all hirers to please make sure you have read our COVID-19 Risk Assessment. You will also find that the booking form has some additional questions, so we have all the information we need to accommodate you and your visitors safely. All forms can be found on the hire page.
Most of our weekly classes likely won’t be restarting until September or early 2021, but we will keep you updated as they start up again. If you’d like to be added to the waiting list for a class please contact us and we will be in touch once they’re back in business!
It is important that anyone visiting the Centre follows these guidelines:
FEELING ILL?
Please do not attend the Centre if you are feeling unwell or have COVID symptoms.
PREBOOKING
Only visitors who are pre-booked on an activity will be allowed to enter the Centre.
STAGGERED TIMING
Please do not come to the Centre before your event is due to start. Please do not wait inside the Centre once your activity is finished. Please do not linger in the hallways.
HANDWASHING
Wash your hands both on arrival and before leaving.
ONE WAY ACCESS
One-way entrance/exit system; rear doors for the main hall only.
OUT OF USE AREAS
Some areas may be out of use temporarily.
TRACK AND TRACE
In order to assist with Track & Trace activity, everybody that attends an activity must leave their name and either mobile or email address with the activity organiser.
PAYMENTS
To be made within class, not at office.
The full safety guidelines can be read here.
Thank you for your cooperation, and we hope to see you soon!
08 Jun 2020
Nearly on the other side…
Nearly on the other side…
We hope that you are all OK and have survived the break without too many problems. There lots of places to go for help – Braintree District Council (https://www.braintree.gov.uk), Essex Map (https://www.essexmap.co.uk) etc. if you need it.
The government have suggested that leisure organisations, such as Braintree Community Centre, can reopen from 1st July 2020. As the Management Committee of the Centre, we shall be taking a cautious approach to reopening from that date.
Our staff have all been on furlough, so if you have been trying to contact us, please bear with us as we start to get going again. We are planning and installing various measures to ensure that we can be Covid-safe.
Groups : Starting back
We are not expecting every group to start back straight away – indeed, we do not want the Centre to get very busy too quickly, whilst we get used to having social distancing measures in place here, to ensure maximum safety.
Covid-safe may mean that in order to avoid very busy periods developing, we will be looking at staggered starts to classes and even changing days, in order to avoid having lots of people moving around at the same time. Equally, we will be expecting people to arrive on time for their meetings – we will be discouraging people being in the Centre waiting for start times. Chairs may be made available in the rear garden where necessary. We will be asking for your support as users, as well!
Every independent group is invited to contact us to discuss their own requirements. Please email to info@braintreecommunitycentre.org.uk. We are aware that many groups are still thinking about what to do – do please let us know if you want to continue or not in the long term. We will not be treating this Covid break as a break for affiliation status purposes, so don’t feel you must start back straight away.
Classes
Our own classes will be starting back in conjunction with our tutors wishes and attendees needs. Each group will be dealt with separately and students will probably be contacted by their own tutor. No group will start back before 1st July and some may be left until September. Information will be published here and will be available by phone (01376 323280) from mid July.
If you have prepaid classes outstanding from before we closed down, these will all be carried forward and will start again whenever you choose to rejoin your class – you’re not under any pressure to come back as soon as the class starts up again if you are continuing to isolate.
Please note that there is an NHS Health group which is going to be starting back in the next few days. No other people will be allowed in the Centre before 1st July.
We are looking forward to getting restarted and welcoming you back to the Centre; in the meantime, stay safe, keep well, and keep your chin up!
Agnes, Brenda, Lesley, James, David
Management Committe
Debbie, Yaz, Kelvin
Community Centre staff
15 May 2020
May Update
We’re taking gradual steps towards being able to reopen – safety comes first though, so we’ll be putting in place all the relevant precautions and following the guidelines.
We know we won’t be back to normal for a while yet, but we’re looking forward to seeing you all again when we can safely do so. For now, stay safe and take care! 😊
02 Dec 2019
Term Dates
As we appraoch the holidays it’s time to talk term dates!
Friday 20th December will be our last day before closing for Christmas, and then we’ll be reopening in the new year on Monday 6th January.
19 Sep 2019
New Prices from 28th October 2019
From Monday 28th October, new room hire and class charges will come into effect.
We’ve tried to retain our current prices for as long as possible, but as costs rise we do have to increase our fees to be able to continue to offer our current standard of facilities and services.
The standard class fee will be £7.50, but you can save money by taking advantage of our block booking deal which will be £40 for 6 weeks of classes.
All existing hires and class block-bookings will be honoured at their current prices.
We also now have two new rooms available for hire upstairs. Room 3 has two comfortable sofas and is great for an informal meeting or training session, and Room 7 is ideal for use as an office or counselling room.
You can download a full price list here.
10 Aug 2018
Office space available!
We currently have a first floor office to rent, available immediately.
Includes parking and access to a range of office services to support you, if required.
Call 01376 323280 or email info@braintreecommunitycentre.org.uk for more information.