• Rural support

    We are an advocate for rural issues

    Four adults sit outdoors in a village setting, engaged in conversation. One man gestures whilst speaking; the others listen attentively. A stone building and noticeboard are visible in the background.

Championing rural Yorkshire voices

We are the ACRE Network member for North, South and West Yorkshire. This means we advocate for rural communities and parish councils to ensure your experience and concerns are heard by national, regional and local government.

Our rural advocacy and support service is kindly funded by Defra.

Share your rural experiences

We want to hear how policies and local issues are affecting you and your community. Your insights help us build a clearer picture of rural life and report concerns to decision makers. You can stay informed through our monthly enewsletter, Rural News, which shares updates on consultations and rural developments. Subscribe to our monthly enewsletter here.

Support for community buildings and halls

Part of our role as the ACRE Network member for rural North, South and West Yorkshire involves providing practical guidance and rural advocacy to trustees, employees and management committees of rural community buildings. You can access support on a range of areas including: good governance; safeguarding; finance and funding; policies and procedures and operational good practice.

Get in touch by emailing info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk, calling us on 01904 704177 or filling out our simple enquiry form.

Our Community Buildings Network is open to all those involved in running community buildings in North Yorkshire. It’s an opportunity to hear about new resources and policy development, to explore topics of interest in detail and to share experiences and knowledge with others running community buildings.

The Community Buildings Network meetings are hosted by our development officers and are a mix of in person and virtual. The agendas are shaped by requests from attendees and current issues facing community buildings.

If you would like to attend a network meeting email info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk or by calling 01904 704177.

We have a closed Facebook group for people involved with managing community buildings and village halls.

We now have nearly 500 members from across Yorkshire who regularly post questions and answers, and support each other. The group is for all those involved with running community buildings a space to share their thoughts, actions and questions on all aspects of hall management. You will need a Facebook account to join, please contact us if you need help with this.

If you already have a Facebook account please click here to join.

Because we are a member of the ACRE Network (Action with Communities in Rural England) for North, South and West Yorkshire, our members are able to access specialist ACRE resources written exclusively for community buildings and village halls. These information sheets and model documents will guide you with every aspect of running a village hall, from insurance and creating a business plan to hiring agreements and trust deeds.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

We promote good safeguarding practice to village and community halls throughout Yorkshire. We want to make sure that voluntary management committees that run halls and community buildings have the knowledge and confidence to provide a safe environment for all.

We want to improve awareness of the importance of safeguarding, provide advice and examples of best practice to ensure management committees fully understand their responsibilities and current legislation around safeguarding, and have appropriate policies and procedures in place.

Building resilience in rural communities

Emergencies such as floods or pandemics can have a significant impact on rural areas. Communities Prepared and Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) have produced ‘A guide to Rural Community Resilience’, full of practical advice to help communities prepare before a crisis occurs. We can also provide advice and support to North Yorkshire organisations so if you want to chat, simply fill out our enquiry form.

Download the guide on building resilience

Strengthening community engagement

If you want to increase engagement in your community but are unsure where to begin, we have many useful resources that can help. We also offer practical advice on planning and running an effective engagement project. If you want to involve more people and create positive local change, please do get in touch.

Download our guide on strengthening community engagement

Other support resources

Four older adults sit around a table in a bright room, smiling and talking. They have papers, a laptop, and coffee mugs in front of them, appearing engaged in a friendly meeting or discussion.

Funding

A stone village hall with a shingled roof stands beside a grassy area and a noticeboard displaying community news. Traditional stone cottages and rolling hills are visible in the background under a blue sky.

Community buildings

A laptop, notebook, pen, and coffee mug sit on a wooden desk. In the background, two people are seated and talking, slightly out of focus, in an office or meeting room with large windows and noticeboards.

DBS checks

Four adults stand in a community room, smiling and talking whilst holding mugs. Behind them is a noticeboard with Health and Wellbeing and various informational leaflets.

Health and wellbeing in North Yorkshire

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