Join us to promote the fact that Cambridgeshire's Village Halls are 'Open for Business'
-1.png?width=250&height=250&name=VH%20LOGO%20FINAL%20(USE%20THIS%20ONE)-1.png "VH LOGO FINAL (USE THIS ONE)-1")
We know that the past two years since the start of the pandemic have been tough for many village halls. We are now focusing on how we can help you ensure your village hall is as strong as possible moving forward and are running a campaign to help you do this.
Browse through the resources available below to help you promote your village hall or community building to your community.
Training Sessions
Cambridgeshire ACRE offers regular training sessions to those who run village halls and other community buildings.
We record all sessions so that those unable to attend in person can watch at a time more convenient to them. Recent sessions include:
- Marketing your village hall - using digital to re-engage your community post-COVID-19 - Watch now
- Developing a website for your village hall - a peer-led session - Watch now
- Recruiting and inducting new trustees - Watch now
- Open for Business - making the most of capacity and creating new groups and activities - Watch now
Information / Guides / Posters
Cambridgeshire ACRE has produced a number of useful guides to help village hall trustees who are considering new activities for their facility. These include:
- Activity Ideas for Village Halls - Looking for ideas for new activities that your community might like? Our guide will provide some inspiration - Download a copy now
- Directory of Activity Providers - Know the activity you want to deliver but need someone to deliver it? Our directory of providers might help - Download a copy now
Our sister organisation in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Community First, has produced an excellent 'Loneliness Toolkit for Village Halls' which helps village halls consider the actions they might take to reduce loneliness in their community. You can download a copy to read here.
We're encouraging all village halls to display an 'Open for Business' poster at their hall - on its noticeboard if it has one or maybe in a window or some other conspicuous place. The poster is in MS Word format so it can be personalised with your hall's details. Before you put the poster up, we'd like you to take a picture of the members of your management committee outside your hall, holding the poster. Send us the picture and we'll promote your hall via our social media. Download your poster here.
Funding
Cambridgeshire ACRE has a small amount of funding to distribute to village halls who would like to try running new activities at their buildings. Small grants of up to £60 per hall are available on a first come, first served basis until the money is used up. If you would be interested in accessing some grant funding for your hall, the application process is as follows:
- Please email Lisa Chambers setting out: The name of your hall; How much funding is likely to be required up to the £60 maximum; What you plan to use it for.
- Lisa will email you back confirming whether or not funding is available. Please do not incur any expenses before you receive Lisa’s confirmation email.
- Once your hall has spent the money allocated (which must be by 11-Mar-2022), you should fill in the claim form that Lisa will provide you with and email it back to her, also providing copies of any relevant receipts/invoices to evidence spending. All claims must be returned by 18-Mar-2022.
- Once checked and approved by Lisa, Cambridgeshire ACRE will make payment to your hall’s nominated bank account.
If you have any questions on this, please do get in touch with Lisa on 01353 865048.
We are grateful to Cambridgeshire Community Foundation for funding our project "Reopening the doors of Cambridgeshire's community buildings" of which the "Open for Business" campaign is a part.
