Village halls across England are today (20 December) able to apply to the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund for grants to improve buildings and facilities.

The fund, which recognises the important role that village halls play in supporting rural communities, was announced by Defra to mark the occasion of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in May 2022.

Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) is managing the £3 million fund being made available by government to help restore and modernise rural community buildings across England, so that they are fit for purpose and can provide activities which seek to achieve one or more of the following outcomes for their communities:

• improved health and/or wellbeing and/or reduction in rural loneliness
• positive impact on the local environment, contributes towards net zero
• support for the local rural economy
• promotion of community cohesion.

The deadline for initial applications to the fund is midnight 20 January 2023. The fund will reopen for applications mid-February but the duration of this will depend on the value of unallocated funds remaining.

Further information, including how to apply for the fund, is available on ACRE’s website.