Management Agreement Delamere Outdoor Wedding Receptions

Management Agreement – Delamere Outdoor Wedding Receptions

Management Agreement between Forestry Commission and the DelamereOutdoor Wedding Receptions provider.

Introduction

General

Delamere outdoor wedding receptions describes the product that we require and is not a brand name.This document sets out the management regulations for the establishment, day to day operation and review of Delamere outdoor wedding receptions. These management regulations along with the key performance indicators(KPIs) form part of the Licence and will be used to monitor the Forestry Commission (FC) expectations.

These regulations describe more fully than the Licence, the practical day to day operating principles, procedures and policies required for the effective day to day provision of Delamere Outdoor Wedding Receptions. Furthermore, these management regulations will form the basis of a standardised review process which is detailed in the Key Performance Indicator document.

These management regulations will be reviewed regularly and may be adapted or amended with consent of the licensee.

Delamere Forestry

Delamere Forest is situated in the Cheshire countryside between the urban conurbations of Manchester, Liverpool and Chester. It covers 792 hectares of woodland and is a very popular destination for visitors wishing to undertake numerous outdoor activities. Visitor facilities include car parks, a café, bike hire, outdoor fitness, Go Ape, waymarked walking and family biking trails, and a bike park.Several long distance Public Rights of Way such as the Sandstone trail cut through the Forest.

Several Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) lie within Delamere Forest which form part of an internationally important wetland complex, collectively forming one of the most significant wetland landscapes in lowland England.The white-faced darter, a species of dragonfly rare in the UK, and marsh fern and white sedge, wetland plants that are rare in Cheshire, are found here.

Delamere has excellent transport links being situated in close proximity to the M56 & M6 motorways and having a railway station on the mid Cheshire railway line.

Delamere Outdoor Wedding Receptions Offer

Delamere outdoor wedding receptions should be operated on the basis of the following criteria and ethos.

Bookings and confirmation of dates

The Licensee will be responsible for the following

Taking booking directly from customers to hold outdoor ‘party’ or ‘festival style’ wedding receptions and similar celebrations
Bookings shall not be confirmed with the customer until availability of the venue on that date has been confirmed by the FC site contact.
Booking confirmation with the FC will require a deposit. The deposit will be the Site fee for a one day event or the first day’s Site fee for a multi-day event.
Deposits must be received at least six weeks before the event is due to take place.

Late bookings (less than six weeks before the event is due to take place) may not be able to be considered.

The deposit will not be refunded if the event is cancelled due to extreme severe weather or due to the actions of the FC (e.g. emergency forestry operations as a result of severe weather or disease control) or that the site is deemed dangerous by the FC.

The deposit will not be refunded in full if the Licenseeor their client cancel the event:

Six weeks or more in advance - half the deposit will be refunded
Less than six weeks before the event - the whole deposit shall be kept by the FC

Enquiries received by the Forestry Commission from private individuals regarding outdoor woodland wedding celebrations or similar celebrations will be referred to the Licensee.

Licences and documentation

The Licensee will be responsible for the following

Applying for, the cost of, and the compliance with any required licences or permits will be the responsibility of the Licensee.
Obtaining any planning or other necessary consents.
Providing the FCsite contact with a full written proposal of the event including maps at least six weeks before the event takes place.
Collating and making available to the FC site contact a pack of health and safety documentation from all subcontractors and suppliers and risk assessments/ method statements for set up/ take down and the event, including an emergency evacuation plan.
Collating and making available to the FC site contact documentation from caterers and bar suppliers including local authority registration, HACCP, risk assessments and public liability insurance, gas and electricity safety certificates

Insurance

The Licensee will be responsible for the following

Public and Employers liability insurance of a minimum £5 million.
Events insurance of an amount suitable to cover cancellation of the whole event including refunding the client, and contractors as required, and paying the deposit/ fees to the FC detailed in this permission.
Engaging contractors and suppliers who hold a minimum of £5 million Public Liability insurance

Infrastructure, contractors and staff

The Licensee will be responsible for the following

Provide all necessary temporary infrastructure including power and water as necessary.
All infrastructure and equipment (including but not limited to marquees, toilets, catering unit) must be visually well presented an in a well maintained, clean and tidy order.
All infrastructure and equipment (including but not limited to marquees, toilets, catering unit) must be specifically constructed or professionally adapted for purpose.
Provide all event staff including but not limited to set up, crew, security and car parking stewards.
Provide a designated manager as a key point of contact for the FC on site.
Engage competent contractors and suppliers who hold a minimum of £5 million Public Liability insurance, and have the necessary technical and professional qualifications and experience.
Engage local contractors where possible and appropriate

The Site

The Licensee will be responsible forensuring the following

The outdoor ‘party’ or ‘festival style’ wedding receptions and similar celebration are staged in the area specified and access to the site is over the specified routes as shown on appendices 1 & 2 on the attached licence.
Any deviation from the area or access routes is authorised in writing by the FC site contact.
The Licensee or nominated staff member is on site to supervise set up, with a particular emphasis on protecting the safety of the public.
Security/ guarding, including overnight security is provided.
All equipment and litter brought onto FC land by the Licensee, participants and spectators, is cleared to the satisfaction of the FC site contact
Forest warning signs and instructions from FC staff are heeded, that areas where work is in progress are avoided. The forest is a working environment.
Vehicles owned by the Licensee, his representatives, participants and spectators only use the access routes and areas specified by the FC site contact.
Any damage occurring is notified to the FC site contact as soon as possible and within 48 hours or occurrence.

To gain sole use of the site at the time of the event the Licensee will require a CROW closure additional administration fee will apply.

The Event

The Licensee will be responsible for ensuring the following

Outdoor ‘party’ or ‘festival style’ wedding receptions and similar celebrations are to be private events for invited guests, not open to public or casual attendance.
A maximum of 150 guests or 200 people in total (including staff and contractors) on site for any one event
The Licensee or nominated staff member, as the Organiser, takes an active part in the event and is entirely responsible for discipline, safety and overall control of participants.
Alcohol service or sales at the event is authorised by a Personal Licence Holder and a ‘Challenge 25’ scheme is in operation.
The area and the route(s) are safe and suitable for the event subject to FC advice and FC tree inspection.
Neighbouring properties are informed of events and disturbance is minimised.
Public rights of way are not impeded.
Noise and time curfews are adhered to.

Safety

The Licensee will be responsible for ensuring the following

Use of camp fires, candles, pyrotechnics, fireworks, and any other naked flames are agreed in advance with the FC site contact. These may be restricted in relation to the fire risk at the time of the event. Please note fire risk status may change at short notice.
Sky lanterns are not be allowed under any circumstances.
Assessing and providing adequate first aid facilities.
Advising the FC within 24 hours of the end of the event of any accident to a participant, spectator, or third party which arises as a result of the exercise of this Licence.

Extreme Weather

The FC will make all reasonable endeavours to keep Delamereopen. However, in extreme weather conditions (e.g. extremely windy conditions); an outbreak of any notifiable disease; other emergency or dangerous situations the FC may need to close Delamereto the public. This decision will relate to closure of the forest area and will rest solely with the FC. The FC decision in these instances will be final and does not replace the need for the licensee to make their own decisions to cancel based on their own risk assessment. For example it may be that the threshold for cancellation is lower for the licensee due to the limitations of infrastructure such as marquees .The FC will ensure that the Licensee is consulted prior to closure where reasonably possible. The Licensee is advised to obtain in advance the extreme weather closure guidance document available from the FC site and also the licensee may wish to insure against cancellation due to bad weather.

Marketing and Promotion

The outdoor wedding receptions product should be branded by the company holding the licence. The product MUST include the word woodland or forest in the name to ensure it is relevant and bespoke to the forest environment. The branding will only be used by the Licensee at events relating to and for the duration of the Licence for Forestry Commission Outdoor Wedding Receptions.

All outdoor wedding reception sites across England form part of the Forestry Commission’s outdoor wedding receptions portfolio and will be promoted as such on the Forestry Commission website.

Application of the brand (both FC and Delamereoutdoor wedding receptions local branding) must be agreed with the FC site contact prior to being used. This is common across the estate and reflects the importance that the FC attributes to its brands and identities.

The Licensee will establish a web presence for the event which is agreed with the FC site contact and consult with the FC regarding use of FC logos.

Promotion and advertising will be the responsibility of the Licensee. Should signage, leaflets, other marketing ‘tools’ etc appear on site without the knowledge or agreement of the FC, then the FC reserves the right to remove them without notice to the Licensee

The Licensee shall be able to display and distribute leaflets on site where appropriate facilities exist, and will be promoted by the FC in marketing and promotion opportunities as relevant and appropriate.

General

The relevant FC site contact will ensure that all forest district staff are notified of the licence and the approved area to be used.

The Licensee will ensure that the Forestry Commission Byelaws are observed, except as expressly authorised by this Agreement. The Bylaws are attached to the Licence at appendix 6and any failure to observe the Bylaws may result in termination of the licence.

In particular the Licensee will ensure:

there is no smoking or the lighting of fires
all gates are left in the position as found
reasonable care is taken to prevent disturbance to wild fauna and flora and to agricultural livestock
compliance with any instructions issued by the Forest District Manager or his authorised representative
no forest roads are obstructed

1Management Agreement | 01/05/2019