General venue information

This page about Autscape 2018 is of historical interest only. Go to the home page for current information.

Please send questions about the venue to registrar@autscape.org

These are the venue information notes

Bar

There will be a bar in the Orchard Centre in the evening on the ground floor (8pm to 10:30pm). There will be fruit juice and alcoholic drinks. Baked crisps can also be bought there. The bar can only take cash, but there are bank machines in the town.

Chapel

The Chapel is between the registration area and the programme area. It looks old, but is not really. The original one was destroyed by a fire in 1988 which left only the original walls standing. This one was rebuilt and opened in 1995. You are allowed to go in and visit it when its open.

There is a small garden of rememberence in a corner round by one side of it.

Childcare

Childcare is in School House on the ground floor. Follow the signs.

Dining room

The dining room is air conditioned. It is on the first floor of the Orchard Centre. There is a lift. There are toilets on that floor and in the ground floor.

The venue staff also take their meals in the dining room. They will sit where there is space. They are happy to talk with you or not talk to you as you prefer. They wear spotty tops with the Tonbridge logo down near the bottom of the top.

Please clear up after your meal. Bring your plate, cutlery and any glass or cups you used to the clearing area. Put the cutlery in one container and any left over food in the other. Leave the plate and glass etc on the table.

The quiet dining room is to the side of the dining room.

DVDs

This venue has a license that allows you to play a DVD with others in the accommodation TV rooms. Please bring DVDs to share.

Fire

If the fire alarm goes off while you are in the Orchard Centre, Projector room, chapel or any of the programme rooms please gather in the grassy area opposite the orchard centre.

If the fire alarm goes off in your boarding house you gather in its assembly point. The location of that will be given on your house information sheet and should also be on the house notice board.

Fire Doors

There are fire doors in the bedroom corridors. At night they default to closed. During the day they stay open when opened. It is allowed to close a fire door during the day however it will default to open next time someone goes through it. Put a sign on the door if you need people to close it after themselves. Your house oversser has blu-tac.

Fire Escapes

Please take a few minutes to locate your closest fire escapes from any room you use in the accommodation areas and the programme areas and the dining room.

Games Room and other house facilities

The accommodation houses have Games Rooms and other communal facilities. There is more information given in the house information sheet. Please ensure you close the windows whenever you are the last to leave a ground floor communal area.

Grounds

You are welcome to walk round the grounds and round the playing fields. There are water channels around the edges of some playing fields.

Help

There are various ways to get help at Autscape.

A note about meals: Volunteers want to eat their meal like everyone else. Even if they are on duty, please don't disturb them unless your query is urgent and cannot wait to the end of the meal.

Your house overseer may be able to answer your accommodation questions.

Don't disturb the venue staff. They expect the organisers to speak to them if there are issues. Instead, please go to your house overseer or the information desk or registration desk.

House Overseer

Your house overseer can help you with house issues, or you can go to the registration desk which is open for most of the day.

The house keeping team leave at 2pm. The registrar needs to be aware of these issues by 10:30am so they can pass them along.

Houses

The accommodation blocks are known as houses.

House problems:

Problems within the accommodation area can be brought to the registration area or to your house overseer. The house keeping team leave at 2pm so try to get problems that require someone on that team to do something to the registration desk by 10:30 in the morning.

Last day

You must have vacated your bedroom by 10am. Leave the bedding outside your bedroom door. Each house will have a different area to keep its luggage in. This will be listed in your house information sheet.

Lights

Some lights in the corridors and bathrooms are automatic. They come on when they detect a person. Sometimes when a person steps from their bedroom to the corridor it seems like the light isn’t turning on. You need to step completely into the corridor to trigger the light or you can wave your arms.

Meals

We've expanded the information about food and drins and moved it to over here.

Parking

The main car park is near the sports centre towards the back of the venue. It is about five minutes walk from there to registration.

Anyone who needs to drive from their house to the programme area should leave a note on their booking with their car model and number. Places are limited and priority goes to those who told us of this need when they booked their place. This parking is only for people who need it for accessibility or mobility reasons.

PIN

Your accommodation area has a PIN to its front door and back door. Please do not share the PIN with anyone. Do not let strangers into the accommodation area.

Programme area

The chapel is between the dining hall and the programme area. There are a few different buildings in the programme area this year. A map will be in your registration pack.

The programme area rooms are locked up at 10:30pm each evening by the school staff. Please help the staff by leaving promptly when asked. They open around 7:30am to 8am in the morning. If a different time for opening or closing is given on the door of a room that time takes priority over this document.

Projector

The interactive floor projector is not in the programme area. It is in the building adjacent to the Orchard Centre where meals and registration are held. It should be on an automatic programme that changes the application every few minutes. Some applications are relaxing and some are multi player games. If you have difficulties with it come to the registration desk.

Quiet Times

Always try to be quiet when walking through the bedroom corridors. People may be resting. Quiet hours, when you must be extra quiet in the bedroom corridors are from 10pm to 7am.

Some areas are marked as quiet zones. These are usually in areas you don't need to pass through. If you in one you must not speak in the corridor.

Room service

Bedrooms are serviced every day. The bed is made and the bin emptied. If there is lots of stuff on the floor the venue staff will not make the bed. If you do not want your bedroom serviced put a note on its door. The venue’s A5 notes and the blu tac to affix them on the door will be available near your house entrance. If you want your bin emptied but not your room serviced leave the bin outside the bedroom door and put up one of the notices.

Rules

The venue's rules are listed here .

Sensory Room

The sensory room is in the Ogilvie room.

Shop

Autscape will be running its small shop again this year selling sensory toys. It will also be selling some folders and note books for anyone who requires these.

Sports centre

The sports centre has colourful glass windows. It is very close to the main car park.

There is a cafe in the sports centre and a vending machine. The cafe is open in the evening. During the day you can get a drink there.

There are lockers for your gear. The lockers need a one pound coin (or shopping basket token) to operate. If you have no change or money on you; go to reception who will lend you a token to use.

The swimming pool is a training pool. This means it is colder (by a couple of degrees) than a leisure centre swimming pool. Babies must wear a wet suit so they don’t get too cold. There will be floats and noodles available during our allocated hour at the pool. The shallow end of the pool is 1.2m (4 feet) and the deep end 3m (just under 10 feet). Check the schedule.

Tea and coffee

Every house has at least one room for making a hot drink. These rooms will have tea (not herbal) and instant coffee and basic biscuits. Often these rooms have ‘brew room’ on the door.

The drop in centre and the registration area will have a larger selection of tea and filtered coffee along with squash. At morning and afternoon break times there will be biscuits in the drop in centre. On the last afternoon there will be cake.

Tonbridge Town

The old part of Tonbridge town is close to the venue. There is a castle and some shops. The town swimming pool has an outdoor and indoor section. There are supermarkets about a mile away.

Towels

You need to bring your own towel, soap and other toiletaries.

Vending machine

There is a vending machine in the sports centre.

Venue staff

The venue staff are not to be disturbed by particpants. If you have any venue or accommodation related problems bring them to the registration desk and we'll pass them along.

The venue staff will be in the dining hall during meals and will sit at a table space they find free. You don't have to chat with them. They are not expecting that. If you do, remember they are on their lunch break and it is not the time for adding to their todo list. Bring your venue issues to the registration desk.

Waterproof Mattress

If you or someone on your booking would like a waterproof mattress on your bed please tell the registrar.

Wireless

The venue has wireless for the use of its conference guests. The password will be in your registration pack.