Our Outdoor Room project cannot operate under tier 4 rules or in lockdown where no more than 2 people can meet outdoors together.  The project is sadly on hold until Sandwell moves down tiers.  We sincerely hope that we will be able to make this project work in some form over the winter and will update this page if there is news.  The information below is left, in case people are following links to this page or looking for information on what might happen in the future.  

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We have a new project almost ready to go at Warley Woods which we hope you will like and be able to make use of.  We will be open for use from Wednesday 6th January.  We can take regular bookings from organisations and ad hoc bookings if we have space.  Please use the online form submission to make a booking which can be found here, or if you prefer to print the booking form the adobe version is here.

Before you submit a booking form, please ensure you have read and understood what the room is (and what it is not) and what can take place in it (and what can not).  There is no cost to use the room as it has been funded by SCVO Vision 2030, however there are obligations on the person making the booking that you should be fully aware of.  This information can be found here.  

This is a new project for Warley Woods and is a response to COVID-19. 

If you are looking for information on the sessional worker role we have been recruiting to, I'm sorry but we have made an appointment. 

Our room

We will be erecting a marquee in Warley Woods which will be an “outdoor room”.  It won’t have walls, but it will have a roof, three tables, 19 chairs and three outdoor heaters which will allow for three groups of 6 to be together but distanced.  It will be located near our resident coffee take away van too.  Our intention behind this project is to facilitate bringing people together to be able to meet under Tier Two and Tier Three rules who currently cannot meet indoors in order to combat loneliness and isolation.

Who can hold activities in the room?

Any formally organised group can book the space for a two hour period. There will be no charge, but the group will have to complete a risk assessment for their activity, provide insurance details and will have to take full responsibility for what happens in the “room” during their booking period and to clean the equipment after use. The project has the “in concept” approval of public health in Sandwell, but we will have to be sure we rigorously keep everyone to the current rules, otherwise we will have to close the room and lose this important opportunity for people to safely meet.  The room cannot be booked by individuals. 

This is not a space for commercial activity.  Everything that happens in the space needs to be free of charge.  The space cannot be used for large meetings or networking even though it holds 19 because people have to be distinctly in groups of 6 and cannot mix or mingle.

Hopefully some of your questions answered

Will the room be warm and dry

It will have one heater per table, but people will still need to dress warmly.  There will be a roof, but not side wall panels (otherwise it would be classed as indoor space), so rain may come inside.  People need to be dressed for outdoors, but there will be some heat.

Are there toilets

Not at the marquee.  Our toilets are five minutes walk away at the Pavilion.  The room isn't intended for a long time activity - just an hour or two at the very most.

Are there refreshments

The room is not a cafe and food cannot be sold, but people booking it may want to provide snacks as part of their offering.  The room will be near our resident coffee van, the Happy Coffee Man, so a drink can be bought when he is open.

How many people can be together

There is space for three groups of six plus the organiser.  This does not mean 19 people altogether.  People must stay in their groups and to a large extent stay seated.  The organiser can work with smaller groups but not larger ones.

Can we use it when it isn't booked

When it isn't booked there will be no equipment inside it - it will just be a roof.  So if it rains and people want to pop under it and keep their distance, like a bandstand, then yes.  People cannot bring equipment from home and use it - as all activities have to be supervised.  If we find this has happened then the project ends, the marquee comes down and everyone loses out.  So please do not do that and spoil it for others.

Can the room be used in the evening?

No there isn't lighting - and so it can only be used in daylight.

Is there power

No there isn't.  There is nothing stopping someone bringing a generator, with a risk assessment completed, but we would prefer this only happened if absolutely necessary as generators are such noisy things.

Finally

We hope you love our idea and will be interested in using it.  It might be cold outside, but there can be a warm welcome in Warley Woods. 

The project has been funded by SCVO Vision 2030.