The Birch Thompson Memorial Fund

Information for hirers: November 2009

Address:

Gelliwig
The Birch Thompson Memorial Residential Centre
Penamser Road
Porthmadog
Gwynedd
LL49 9NY
Tel: 01766 514141

Warden: Frank Dyde

Troed-y-Bryn
Penamser Road
Porthmadog
Gwynedd
LL49 9LY
Tel: 01766 512799

General Introduction

Gelliwig has had extensive refurbishment in 2008 and 2009 with both internal and external decoration, new vinyl cushion floor coverings in all main rooms for easier maintenance, and new beds and bedding except for two variable contour beds. The building has gas-fired central heating. Please do not allow anyone to sit on the radiators or place anything on them at all. There are smoke and fire detectors included in a fire alary system. An intruder alarm system is fitted which provides extra security. Please familiarise yourself with the alarms. Burnt toast has activated the fire alarm, it is therefore useful to know how to turn this off! The building is ramped at the front for access by wheelchair users. Switches on the ground floor are at wheelchair height. Instruction manuals for equipment are kept in the warden's office. You will have been given the code for the intruder alarm and security lock separately. It may be changed from time to time.

Accommodation inside the building

Gelliwig has accommodation for a maximum of 30 people with flexible groupings as follows:

Bedroom 1: The West Midlands County Council Room

Bunk beds for six people

Bedroom 2: The Joe Loss Room

Bunk beds for eight people

Bedroom 3: The Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council Room

Three single divan beds
Table lamp, bedside table and clock-radio

Bedroom 4: The "As-yet-unnamed" Room

Two single divan beds
Mira shower in cabinet
Bedside table, wardrobe chest of drawers

Bedroom 5: The Children in Need Room

Bunk bed for two people
One single variable contour electrically-operated bed
One single Formright plus variable contour manually operated bed

Bedroom 6: The Hayward Foundation Room

Bunk beds for eight people

All the bunks except two are standard 3ft 3ins by 6ft (2 metres by 1 metre). They are fitted with mattress covers, pillows and continental quilt.

PH Toilet: The Variety Club of Great Britain Room

The toilet and shower on the ground floor are available for wheelchair users. There is an Oxford hoist and a shower chair stored for use in this toilet. .

Toilet and shower area - first floor

On the first floor there are four purpose-built showers which operate from the hot and cold water system. The gas boiler heating this water is very large and there is, therefore, a rapid recovery even if thirty people were to take showers continuously. Please ensure that the shower curtains are kept within the shower basins and that the green flooring is kept reasonably dry. A mop and bucket are kept in this area for this purpose.

There are four toilets and four wash basins adjacent to the showers on the first floor. One of these is fitted with a sanitary towel disposer (a Southalls self-seal unit - special black Polythene bags for use in this kept in the office) and is therefore reserved at all times for female use. The other toilets can be used for either male or female use depending on the group leader's decision.

The Dining Room: The James Birch Room

At present a variety of chairs and six Go-pak folding tables are kept here but for large parties two tables need to be taken into the lounge. When the tables are folded away (carefully please as each one costs about £70!) the room can be used for games, social activities and so on. There is a 2 x 1 metre Whiteboard fixed to one of the walls in this room. Please bring your own pens. A CD Player is also kept in this room

The kitchen: the Lil Thompson Room

The equipment in the kitchen includes:

A large Falcon Gas cooker with large oven and six boiling burners
A standard domestic electric cooker
A microwave
A large commercial hot-plate
A large fridge
Two electric kettles
Two electric toasters
An earthenware bucket sink
A standard household stainless steel sink
A large industrial size deep sink
A stainless steel hand basin
Plenty of plates, dishes, pans knives, forks, spoons (but not many teaspoons) for your own use.
Two large swing top waste disposal bins. Please provide your own plastic bags for these.

You will see that keys to all areas are stored here, Please ensure that they are left when you go. The keys to the window locks are of several types since some of the locks have been replaced. Please leave the window locks undone at the end of your visit.

The Lounge: The GKN Technology Room

The lounge has armchair seating, other chairs, a 26-inch Television set, DVD and video player. A feature of the lounge is that an open fire has been left. Please bring or buy your own fuel and clean the ashes away as necessary and certainly at the end of your visit.

Warden's office

The contact breakers for the electrical system are sited in this area. It is a sensitive system and a fused bulb has been known to activate the contact breakers, so have a quick look here before evening comes. This area includes a payphone (01766 514141). Vacuum Cleaners are stored in this area, and one on the upstairs landing. Please empty these at the end of your visit.

Outside facilities

There is a covered veranda with a large sink suitable for boot-washing.

Boiler and Drying Room

There are separate water and central heating boilers and a suitable area for drying boots slowly.

Garage

This contains an industrial size Maytag washing machine and tumble drier. These should only be used under the supervision of the leaders. A soiled duvet can be washed and dried within two hours regardless of the weather. N.B: Please do not dry sand-filled clothes in the drier. It damages the machine. There are sets of Henri Lloyd cagoules and leggings. There are small rucksacks suitable for carrying lunch.

Residence Arrangements

You will have been given a booking form to complete and return to Robin Foster or Keith Berry, addresses and telephone numbers below. Robin is the trustee who manages the bookings for the charity.
There must be a nominated leader for each party who is prepared to take responsibility for the behaviour of the group. Where mixed parties are in residence there must be both male and female leaders.
No animals are allowed on the premises.
Residents are expected to keep the Centre clean and tidy during their stay, and to clean the premises thoroughly before departure.
Waste is collected early on collection mornings and should be placed in plastic bags at the front of the house on the previous evening. Please see the notice in the kitchen about this.
All damage should be reported to the warden before departure and an extra charge may be made.

All parties must provide the following:

Pillow cases, sheets and duvet covers (or a simple sheet).
Soaps and towels.
Cloths, tea towels and other cleaning materials.
First Aid Equipment.
Toilet Rolls (We keep an emergency supply!)
Local Facilities

There is an Aldi store immediately opposite to Gelliwig and a Lidl store further along Penamser Road. A Tesco store on the Tremadog Road opposite the local cinema has joined the competition for the niche market of Gelliwig shoppers !!!! The main shops of Porthmadog are only 200 metres away. A Spar shop in the town centre is open on Sundays.

User Agreement Summary

All users of Gelliwig do so on a self-help basis and take responsibility for their own personal holiday insurance cover. The house will be left clean and tidy. A surcharge will be levied for extra cleaning that has to be done following a party visit if the house is left in an unsatisfactory state. The log book at the house will be completed. Breakages will be reported and made good where possible by the user group. The warden needs to be informed of any breakages or damage that cannot be rectified by the users. It is expected that all damage is paid for by the party concerned.

Robin Foster
Colton Hills School
Jeremy Road
Wolverhampton
WV4 5DG
Tel: 01902 558420
0774 881 4124

Keith Berry
80 York Avenue
Wolverhampton
WV3 9BU
Tel: 01902 655962

November 2009