August 2020
Permission to open with restrictions -
IF YOU NEED A WEE, GO NOW AS THIS IS LONG;
YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO GRAB A COFFEE! lol 
We have been in conversations with Wirral Licensing and lengthy talks with Wirral Environmental Health Covid 19 action team about how we can open and still protect our staff and members from 4th July 2020.
Let’s start with what we won’t be doing as that’s easier:
We will not be opening for any parties whatsoever until social distancing is dropped altogether.
We will not be opening as a bar for social gatherings, despite having a licence to sell alcohol as our space does not lend itself to safe social distancing and the reduced capacity does not make it financially viable.
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So now onto what we ARE allowed to do; bear in mind that we are a massive BDSM club as well as a swingers club, so I can see this being more attractive to couples into kink but also couples who don’t live together and can’t play at home.
• We can hire our entire venue out to a couple who want to use the space for their own play
• We can hire our entire venue out to a poly family who want to use the space for their own play
• We can hire out to 2 couples who want to share the cost of hire and have their own individual play
• We can hire out to photographers who want to do socially distanced shoots
• We can hire out to film crews who want to do socially distanced shoots
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Let me go into all of the caveats, so we are clear about who can hire.
• We will only take bookings from couples who have a current Townhouse membership as a couple. We will not be taking bookings from new couples at this time as we cannot be certain you are a couple
• We will ask you to present your Townhouse membership card AND bring full ID with you so we can check your details against our database; this information also has to be shared at the time of booking.
• We will only take bookings from poly families who currently hold a poly membership at Townhouse and only the people named on that membership will be allowed to attend together. The same presentation of ID will be needed at booking and attendance
• 2 couples who want to share the cost of hire must be members and follow the points above. Both couples must agree to stay separate and play separate. Please don’t disrespect us and try to bend this rule when you are out of sight as this puts our licence and reputation on the line and you will simply be barred. I will only consider couples that I know for this kind of hire, so I can be secure in the mind that they won’t let me down.
• Photographers and film crews do not need to be members but they must present full ID (options will be discussed at booking) for contact tracing purposes.
IF THIS INTERESTS YOU, PLEASE CONTACT ME TO BOOK IN AND DISCUSS FURTHER.
IF YOU WANT THE NITTY GRITTY, THEN PLEASE READ ON...BET YOU WISH YOU GRABBED A COFFEE NOW lol
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What we will do to protect our guests and staff at Townhouse before, during and after bookings
• We will only take one private hire booking per day. This gives us time to thoroughly clean and air the building afterwards. Environmental Health have given us excellent guidance on cleaning and the products to use to ensure thorough cleaning takes place.
• We will ask guests to pay for their hire in advance by bank transfer to minimise cash handling. If guests show symptoms before the booking, we ask that they cancel and a full refund will be issued.
• Guests are asked to bring their own towels and they may wish to bring their own food and drinks with them to minimise contact across our bar. If guests wish to purchase alcohol, we will place your order on the bar in plastic, disposable glasses for you to collect and purchases can be paid at the end by card to minimise several card contacts.
• On arrival, ID and membership cards will be checked (hands free) and details taken for contact test and trace. Please note that your details are kept on our secure database (the same secure database that hasn’t been breached in 15 years!) and you must agree to us sharing your name and contact number with NHS Test and Trace if a positive case of Covid has been identified. The only details that are shared are your name, your number and the date/time of your appointment. Where you have been and what you were doing is not relevant. Please see the NHS Test and Trace website and .Gov guidelines for more on this. If you do not agree to your details being shared in the event of an outbreak, please do not book in.
• Masks are not compulsory as per government guidelines and gloves are discouraged. However, our staff will wear gloves to handle dirty laundry and clean.
• We will not do temperature testing on arrival as it means getting close to you and we know that this is only effective in an active infection. You could have a normal temperature on Monday and have full blown symptoms by Tuesday.
• Only myself or Jim will be present during your booking and we will remain behind the reception/bar unless there is a problem that you need assistance with, i.e. an accident.
• The hot tub and sauna will not be open for use at all.
• If 2 couples wish to hire the venue for separate play, they will be given lockers in our 2 separate locker areas and will be allocated their own bathroom/shower to use.
• You will find a blue laundry bag in the play areas and some anti bac cleaning products for your hands and for the equipment. If you use a bed, please remove the sheet afterwards and throw it in the laundry bag. The anti bac can be used to give the vinyl mattress a quick wipe down. If you use BDSM equipment, again wipe down the equipment, including straps after use; it takes 5 minutes max. Bring the laundry bag down with you before you leave.
• Once you leave the premises, the building will be opened up for airing; so all windows, doors and emergency exits. The club will be thoroughly cleaned as per the guidance given to us by Environmental Health and all dirty laundry removed from the premises for boiling. The building will then be closed until the next private hire booking is due in.
• If a positive case of Covid has been identified, we will follow the test and trace guidance to share information. We will cancel future appointments and refund until we can bring in a company to do a thorough deep clean. Appointments after this time will go ahead but myself and Jim will need to isolate for 14 days, so another member of staff will step in.
This all sounds very clinical and not very sexy at all, but it’s all about safety first and we all need to adapt and inconvenience ourselves for the greater good. We can still get our kink on during a Pandemic, we just need to be creative….gas masks anyone? Lol
Thanks for your patience and working with us to adapt to our new normal for now. If anybody wishes to clarify what we are doing with our local authority, I am more than happy to share their contact details and the names of the people who we have been working with to get this show on the road!! All of the above has been 'rubber stamped' by them and we are happy with the plan ??
Much Love
Vicky and Jim xxx