Yorkshire communities ‘Go Green’ for Village Halls Week

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Village halls across North, South and West Yorkshire will be taking part in the annual Village Halls Week celebrations, to showcase and encourage green initiatives within community buildings.

Between 18-24 March, Village Halls Week is a national campaign celebrating village halls for their contributions to their local communities. This year’s theme of ‘Go Green’ will look at how community buildings can become more energy efficient and how village committees can support environmentally friendly behaviours within their own communities.

Throughout the week-long celebration, participating village halls will host their own events, share environmental practices and gain inspiration from environmentally successful community buildings.

Sally Scales, chair at Whixley Village Hall, shares her thoughts: “From pantomimes and festive celebrations to coffee mornings and sports matches, Whixley Village Hall is truly the centre of our community, and has been ever since 1935.

“The Village Halls Week campaign and its ‘Go Green’ messaging has never felt more vital, and now more than ever we need to focus on preserving our community buildings for the next generation. Funding is available for green initiatives, and our village hall is undertaking a decarbonisation project which includes a complete replacement of our old and inefficient heating system. We feel proud to be helping to secure the future of this vital community space. I’d heartily encourage any village hall to use this week as a time to focus on how their venue can go green.”

Jane Colthup, chief executive at Community First Yorkshire, continued: “Village Halls Week provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate the beating hearts of our communities, and this year’s theme of ‘Go Green’ will allow our communities to share knowledge and gain inspiration, helping to preserve our environment and allow our community buildings to thrive for many more successful years to come.

“Whixley Village Hall is the perfect example of what community buildings can do to work towards their green goals, and we’re keen to actively encourage community groups to get in touch with us to see what funding is available to them.”

Community First Yorkshire provides support and advice to village halls across North, South and West Yorkshire, including training, resources and bespoke one to one support. The organisation is the Rural Community Council for North, South and West Yorkshire and a strong advocate for rural issues.

Village Halls Week takes place from Monday 18 to Sunday 24 March 2024.

Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) appoints new Chief Executive

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Corinne Pluchino, an experienced leader with a lifelong interest in rural affairs will join Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) in May.

She replaces Richard Quallington who announced his departure last year, having spent 8 years in the role.

Corinne is currently Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications at WWT, the charity for wetlands and wildlife. She has previously served as Chief Executive of Campaign for National Parks and has held senior roles with SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity and Hill & Knowlton, the global communications consultancy. She is also a former trustee of CPRE, the countryside charity. With expertise in communications, public affairs, and stakeholder engagement, her experience includes housing and development, environmental, farming, health, and social care issues. She aims to put the needs and interests of rural communities firmly on the next government’s agenda.

Thrilled to be supporting rural communities

Speaking of her appointment, Corinne said: “I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to join ACRE, and to work with its network of thirty-eight member organisations that are dedicated to supporting rural communities across England. It is essential that the significant challenges faced by many people living in rural areas are better understood and they are not disadvantaged by where they live. There are also real opportunities to achieve change through positive action. I am looking forward enormously to working with the ACRE team, the wider network and our partners to deliver these ambitions.”

James Blake, Chair of ACRE said, “We are delighted to be welcoming Corinne to ACRE at this important time for our organisation. With the prospect of a new government on the horizon, it is essential we have someone of Corinne’s calibre in post to build our reputation for championing the needs of rural communities, as well as continuing to deliver for our members.”

Corinne will be joining ACRE at a time of adaptation in its network where members have stepped up to help rural residents through the cost-of-living crisis; delivering new projects to improve health and wellbeing, supporting individuals with fuel poverty, and developing a new network of Rural Housing Enablers to help communities secure more affordable homes.

Corinne will take up her appointment at the end of May.

Notes

ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is a charity speaking up for and supporting rural communities. It is the national body of the ACRE Network, England’s largest rural grouping of community support charities which support of initiatives that equip people with the knowledge, skills, and connections needed to improve their local community. Community First Yorkshire is the ACRE Network member for North, South and West Yorkshire.

Small grants made available to village halls in England

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Defra funded grant scheme reopens for those managing rural community buildings, this time with a lower award threshold of £2,000 to support smaller projects and make it accessible to more groups.

In 2023, a £3 million village halls fund was launched to provide support for the modernisation and improvement of village halls in England.

Managed by Action with Rural Communities in England (ACRE), the fund has already awarded over £1 million to rural communities, helping them undertake ambitious improvements to their building. Works undertaken or scheduled to take place include new roofs, insulation, extensions, and more energy efficient heating systems.

The grant fund is today [1  February 2024] re-opening to new applicants who wish to undertake smaller projects such as disability access, toilet upgrades and new kitchens. Grant awards of between £2,000 to £5,000, and up to 20 per cent of eligible project costs, are on offer. Project expenditure must take place before 31 March 2025.

A streamlined on-line application process and simplified eligibility criteria will make it easier for smaller projects to come forward for support. The scheme will remain open during 2024 until available funding is fully allocated.

Deborah Clarke, Village Halls Manager at ACRE said: “We hope the smaller grants on offer will help even more village hall management committees make much needed improvements to their buildings.

“With increasing energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis, the need to have warm, welcoming and accessible spaces open to everyone has become ever more important in the countryside. Often village halls are the only place where people can meet and socialise locally, and they provide a venue from which many self-employed people earn a livelihood.

“The availability of grant funding from government supports the continued use of these important rural assets.”

Apply for a small grant

Notes

ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is a charity speaking up for and supporting rural communities. It is the national body of the ACRE Network, England’s largest rural grouping of community support charities which support of initiatives that equip people with the knowledge, skills, and connections needed to improve their local community. Community First Yorkshire is the ACRE Network member for North, South and West Yorkshire.

Details about how to apply to the small grants scheme can be found here.