Village and Community Halls

Village and Community Halls Adviser
Barbara Pond bpond@grcc.org.uk
01452 528491

GRCC offers a specialist service directly to the volunteers who run village and community halls for the local community. The service can provide a wide range of practical help, advice and support to management committee members, parish councils and those interested in the support of their community venue. There are approximately 300 village halls across the county and 8100 nationally which are supported by 45 village and community hall advisers.

Managing a village hall or community centre demands a wide range of skills and information to meet the ever-changing requirements set by local authorities and national legislation. The Village and Community Hall Adviser will cover a range of issues, for example charity law and status, fundraising opportunities, encouraging access to the hall and its facilities, community consultation, various policies and their implementation, new legislation, health and safety requirements, risk assessments and business plans. In September 2007 the village and community hall advisory service will launch a Quality Standards scheme for halls called ‘Hallmark’, which is being adopted nationally.

GRCC, along with all other Rural Community Councils, is a member of an umbrella body called ACRE (Action with communities in Rural England) through which practical support for halls nationally is given. ACRE also acts as a lobbying body on behalf of all halls. Good examples recently include consultation over the new licensing laws introduced in 2006 (and ongoing!) and the BIG Lottery Community Buildings Funding Scheme.

The Village and Community Halls Adviser organises regular Village and Community Hall Forums to offer the opportunity for hall management committee members and others to get together to exchange ideas and best practice, listen to case studies and receive training on aspects of running a village or community hall. There is normally no charge to attend these forums and they are held at different halls in the county as centrally as is possible.

In 2006 GRCC launched an online searchable Village and Community Hall database, accessed through the GRCC website. The vast majority of the halls in Gloucestershire have registered and the extensive details include how much car parking is available, what the hall dimensions are and who the booking contact is. Directions to the halls are also included.

The 'Hallmark Scheme' was launched nationally in late 2007, as a Quality Standards programme for village halls. Click here for more details.