THE KILN ROOMS

Terms & Conditions: Bellenden Rd Membership

We may make reasonable changes to the Terms & Conditions at any time. It is your responsibility to check online at regular intervals for changes however we will notify members via email of any significant changes. Please review the Terms & Conditions carefully and make sure that you understand them. In becoming a member of The Kiln Rooms you are agreeing to the below terms:

Payments

Fixed term contracts: payment for membership will be taken in full before the membership start date. The longer the contract the more of a discount a member will receive. At present we are doing 6 or 12 month memberships:

£1,260 for 6 months (equivalent of £210 p/m) or £2,400 for 12 months (equivalent of £200 p/m). Payment for membership will be taken in full before the membership start date.

Rolling contracts: £225 per month, minimum of 2 months. Payments to be set up Direct Debit.

Failure to pay:

Fixed term / standing order failed payments: A £10 fee will be incurred for each week (7 days) a payment is late. Payment reminders are sent out beforehand.

Direct debit failed payments: The Kiln Rooms is charged by our online payment provider for every failed payment. We will absorb the fee if this happens once, but after this, a £15 failure fee (including failure fee, VAT, admin time)  will be billed to the member after each failed payment. Options to switch to another payment method are offered before this.

In the event of more than one failed payment from a member, The Kiln Rooms can ask that a one month refundable deposit be paid (£225) by way of security.

A £10 fee will be incurred for each week (7 days) a payment is late. Payment reminders are sent out beforehand.

Refunds: There are no refunds on rolling contracts. If you have paid for 6 or 12 months upfront we will refund any time remaining on the contract on a pro rata basis provided that a notice period of at least 1 month has been given and you are at least 2 months into membership.

Notice period: When cancelling membership a period of at least 30 days notice is needed for termination of a membership.

Minimum stay: Minimum membership is 2 months.

* On rare occasions, we may accommodate shorter membership periods. Please contact us with your request. Approval depends on studio availability and what kind of work you’re looking to accomplish. The fee for a shorter stay is £450.

Included in the price: This fee includes the use of communal equipment & tools, personal and communal storage space, free access to the Professional Development Programme and onsite technical support. In-house glazes and firings are also included, within reason. Kiln and glaze usage will be monitored by technical staff, if it seems a member is using/requires a large amount of either they will be requested to measure their pieces, anything over 50 cubic litres of kiln usage per month will not be permitted. (this is roughly 1/4 of our large top loaders). Maximum usage of the studio is 18 hours per week and members must sign in and out. Time cannot be accumulated and used at a later date. Members also have the opportunity to sell work during our bi-annual shows, helping to fund their ongoing practice.

No shared contracts and no sub-lets. All prices include VAT.

Holiday & time in lieu: No holiday or time in lieu. If you are going away for an extended period of time we would recommend cancelling your membership and discussing with management a possible date to rejoin.

Non-usage of the studio / studio opening times:  Studio opening times are on our website. In the event of non-usage it will not be possible to provide any additional studio time in future or make up for this in any way. The studio closes for 3-4 days during each of our bi-annual Shows (which all member are invited to take part in). The studio also closes for between 4-6 days over the Christmas period and between 23rd December and 2nd January access times may vary. We may, with reasonable notice and at our discretion, close our premises for reasonable periods of time to carry out essential maintenance, repairs, refurbishment, or for other reasons outside of our control. We will endeavour to reopen facilities as soon as is reasonably possible in these circumstances.

Data protection: As a member of The Kiln Rooms it’s important that we contact you with information related to the studio, shows, opening times, health and safety and best practice. We will keep your personal data safe and will not pass this on to any third party.

Sharing the space

Neither The Kiln Rooms nor Kiln Rooms staff are responsible for personal belongings or any work getting damaged, lost or stolen. Although we work tirelessly to minimise damage to any work it is inevitable that in communal studio such as this there will occasionally be work that gets damaged. If you do decide to bring in your own materials, glazes or any equipment into the studio this must be cleared first by a member of staff and stored in your personal storage area. Best practice should be adhered to at all times when working in the studio and respecting others is key. We have the right to cancel membership with immediate effect in the event of any anti-social or disrespectful behaviour towards TKR staff or other members.

Personal and communal storage: Communal storage in the ‘work in progress’ area needs to be cleared within 5 days. Any work remaining after 6 days will be thrown out. (please speak to our technicians if you are unsure). Please do not use more than 120cm of communal shelving at any one time – this space is for sharing. All work in your personal storage area must be removed from the studio by the day membership finishes.

Cleaning: For the studio to work it requires everyone to pitch in. When you use the studio it is best practice to do 20 minutes of cleaning where you have worked and in the communal areas. Always wet clean any dry materials.

Guests: If you want to invite friends/family to see the space, meet fellow members or staff for up to 10 minutes this is fine. If you would like someone to be in the studio for more than 10 minutes and work alongside you on a project this must be agreed in advance with Kiln Rooms management. As a rule people are not allowed to use the studio unless they have signed up and anyone visiting must be supervised by an inducted studio member / staff at all times.

Special requirement: If you have any special requirements please let us know during your induction.

Kiln usage: If a member is found to have caused damage to the kilns (i.e. explosion or melt down) or other equipment through improper use they may be liable for costs of repair. We estimate 2-3 weeks for work to be fired, however work extremely hard to turnaround work in 5-10 days.

In summer during a heatwave it’s possible that we reduce and stagger firings to keep the studios as temperate and comfortable for users as possible. During these times it’s possible that work is slower to be fired than usual. If/when this happens it will be communicated via email.

Materials: We have a fully stocked materials store (please ask staff).

Social Media 
The Kiln Rooms social media accounts are first and foremost to be used by The Kiln Rooms (TKR) to promote a variety of events, classes, members, staff etc. We occasionally feature members and staff but we cannot guarantee who might be featured or when. We welcome being tagged in posts, which may increase the likelihood of TKR reposting. We may not seek permission to repost a member’s or member of staff’s content, so if you do not want TKR to use any content you have in the public domain, please let us know.
 
TKR avoid posting/repost anything overtly political or emotive, as we aim to be a safe space for as many people as possible – we stick to pottery. Reposting someone’s work does not mean that we agree with other political content they might have posted.
If a member were to post negative comments against TKR before discussing the matter in full with TKR management first, we reserve the right to cancel membership with immediate effect.
Health & Safety

Members must have a full induction of the studio (in person and having watched the induction video) before using the space. It is important that everyone respects all Health & Safety regulations, signage and Kiln Rooms staff / members.

The main points covered in the induction:

  • The Kiln Rooms cannot be held responsible for any injuries caused through the misuse of the studio or equipment.
  • Food or drink should not be consumed in the studio.
  • Fire safety. Please be aware of our evacuation procedure.
  • We reserve the right to suspend or cancel any membership if any of the above points are not respected