BUCKINGHAMSHIRE’S VILLAGE & COMMUNITY HALLS ENCOURAGED TO TAKE PART IN NATIONAL SURVEY

ACRE has launched a national survey of village and community halls to collect data which will help to secure essential future funding for halls and tailor future advice and information that addresses the challenges being faced by volunteer hall committees.

The feedback from the survey, which is being supported by Power to Change and Sheffield Hallam University, also will help the ACRE Network to continue to provide crucial support to community buildings across the country.

ACRE has carried out this comprehensive survey every 10 years and it is being distributed to 10,000 village halls across England by the ACRE Network members including Community Impact Bucks in Buckinghamshire.

All types of community buildings are being encouraged to complete the survey; this includes not only traditional village halls but also community centres and sports pavilions, church halls and churches providing community use, community centres, Miners Welfare Institutes, WI halls and community pubs providing meeting rooms.

“Village and community halls in Buckinghamshire play a vital role within our local communities, often at the centre of village life,” commented Katie Higginson, Chief Executive of Community Impact Bucks. “This survey is a great opportunity for volunteer hall committees throughout the county to help shape the future of these buildings to ensure they continue to thrive and bring local communities together for years to come.”

ACRE’s Deborah Clarke said: “Whilst it’s essential for us to have the hard data as evidence to support our work, the information collected will paint a picture of the social and economic impact of having a hall within communities. It provides a detailed look at social change over time. We are extremely grateful to all the hall committees that give their time to manage village halls and will take the time to complete this survey.”

More information and a link to the survey can be found here:  https://acre.org.uk/our-work/national-village-and-community-hall-survey

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 For any media enquiries, please contact

  • Rachel Fisher at Community Impact Bucks

E: rachel@communityimpactbucks.org.uk;  T: 0330 236 9350

  • Flick Humphrey, Head of Communications and Public Affairs, ACRE

E: f.humphrey@acre.org.uk; T: 01285 653477

Notes:

 

  • ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is the national body for 38 charitable local development agencies. Together we make up the ACRE Network. We speak up for rural communities on the national stage and deliver projects that enable our communities to find innovative solutions to the challenges they face.
  • Community Impact Bucks is an independent charity that supports people and groups to get involved and make a difference in Buckinghamshire communities. We offer expert advice and training, help people to find volunteering opportunities, and help charities and not for profit groups to get started, be effective and grow.
  • Community Impact Bucks is the Rural Community Council for Buckinghamshire. We run a subscription service to support Community Buildings in Bucks For more information >> CLICK HERE
  • There are 10,000 village halls in England supported by the ACRE Network.
  • ACRE leads the annual January #VillageHallsWeek campaign, involving over 700 village halls. The Village Halls’ Week 2020 actively engaged 18 MPs and attracted coverage from Countryfile, national newspapers and resulted in #villagehallsweek trending on Twitter.
  • Evidence from the 2009 survey allowed ACRE to argue the case to Robert Jenrick MP, then Treasury Minister, for the £3 million Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund, and he said at the launch he hoped it will continue if we can provide the evidence.
  • ACRE has regularly used evidence from Surveys in 1988, 1998 and 2009, both for village halls in achieving licensing changes and informing policy as well as in its wider work such as the House of Lords inquiry into the Rural Economy.
  • Survey Funder: Power to Change
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