Choosing a venue

A 21st Century Family group could meet anywhere for example, someone’s home, village hall, community centre, school or place of worship. When deciding where to meet you might want to  consider:

• Accessibility – for those with disabilities, prams, etc
• Location – is it easy to get to by public transport, is there parking, in a safe area?
• Comfort – is it actually nice? Would you want go to anything there? (If your only option is a local village hall that needs a lick of paint, you could brighten it up with tablecloths on coffee tables and vases of flowers).
• Childcare – you may want to put on a crèche; does it have the space for this? NB: if offering this service you must work to Children Act guidelines. Visit the Ofsted website for more details.
• Familiarity – is it known as a venue for community events? If it is, then it’s a less threatening place to go, particularly if you are on your own.
• Equipment – Is there a TV/DVD player with good sound?  For larger groups are you able to put up a screen and use a projector?
• Facilities – are you able to serve refreshments?
• Insurance – Does the premises have insurance that would cover you and your group if any accident occurs?