Holy Trinity Church, Frome

When the Hall was reopened six years ago (yes, really!) I offered to be the Manager as it seemed that my experience, inclination and the time I had available fitted the job. There was still a lot of finishing off to be done and administration to be worked out. We had to fit out the office, put shelves in all the cupboards, help provide equipment for the kitchen and lots of other details.  
Now as I come to the end of my time in this position at the end of June everything is well established and working well and the job is very much more straightforward, so I offer a few thoughts to anyone who is interested in becoming Manager.

  The first major point is that the need is for someone to generally oversee the operation of the Hall, not to do everything themselves. Because I enjoy doing practical things I spend a lot of time on the premises, but there is no need for this now because most of the responsibilities are covered by other people. Examples of jobs shared with other people are:

-  Letting people hiring the hall in and providing a key for locking up. Regular hirers all have keys.
-  Taking bookings, most of this being done by the office staff as the phone calls come in.
-  Administering the finances and banking, sending out booking forms etc
-  Maintenance. Although I do minor jobs there are people who are willing to help with this and we employ people for more major items, e.g. the skirting boards in the main hall. Certain jobs have to be arranged on a regular basis, e.g. boiler and fire extinguisher servicing and maintenance of the kitchen appliances.
-  Overseeing the kitchen equipment and supplies.

The main needs are to regularly review the operation of the Hall to see that all is running smoothly. Some basic computer skills are necessary, for instance to access the Booking Programme (which works very well). The job does require regular commitment but not in fact a great deal of time.

There are a number of good things about doing this job. A big joy is getting to know those who use our Hall and receiving their appreciation of our lovely premises. Also, recognising the commitment needed, the PCC has already agreed to pay an Honorarium, to be paid from the Hall account, not church funds. I must say that it has been very rewarding and satisfying being Hall Manager and if anyone would like to know more I’ll be very happy to chat with them about it.