Guidance for Village & Community Halls
We offer advice and support on all aspects of village and community hall management, including how to run your charity, how to manage your building, and how to reach out to your community.
- Keeping your building safe and compliant
- Design, build, refurbish
- Insurance Providers and Quick Guide to insurance
- Licensing
- Data protection
- Marketing your hall
- Reporting and finances: what do you have to do?
- Trustee roles and responsibilities
- Interpreting your governing document
- Halllmark Quality Standard Scheme (under review)
- Safeguarding
Member benefits:
- FREE access to ACRE information sheets
- FREE model documents, policies & risk assessments
- discounted rates for talks and events
- discounts on training
- regular newsletter
- fundraising advice
- peer support, experience sharing & discussion
- 1-2-1 advice from our halls adviser
Village & Community Halls: £60
Parish councils: £60 to £170, depending on population
For more details email Angela Milligan, Village & Community Halls Advisor: communityhalls@ruralkent.org.uk
Join our closed Facebook group, to share tips, experience and best practice with other Kent village halls.
Click here, then answer the access questions to join: www.facebook.com/groups/624905692133397
Our Funders
The National Lottery Community Fund are currently supporting our work to help members develop digital solutions, and our safeguarding project aimed at village hall committees, ultimately improving communities and the lives of people in them.
ACRE (https://acre.org.uk/) is a national charity advocating for rural communities. Their overarching belief is that nobody should be disadvantaged by where they live. ACRE works to create thriving, inclusive and economically active rural communities and acts as the broker for the government’s strategic investment in this area. Rural Kent is the ACRE network member for Kent and Medway.
Our Corporate Partners
Norris & Fisher (Insurance Brokers) Ltd provide specialist insurance for village and community halls. As well as sponsoring developments to the service at the national level via ACRE, they also support the Kent & Medway annual Village Hall Convention.
Utility Aid (https://utility-aid.co.uk/) are the largest energy broker for the not-for-profit sector. Utility Aid’s partnership with ACRE is helping to identify issues and possible solutions around energy use. Utility Aid will check your energy usage and identify the best value prices available. They also provide an automatic bill checking service, advising you of any anomalies or errors. Contact Emily at Utility Aid via this link for a quote: http://www.utility-aid.co.uk/contactform/RuralKent.
Hallmaster offer an online hall management system, with integrated booking calendar and invoicing, to ease the workload of those running community buildings and village halls. Members of the Rural Kent Village & Community Hall Service receive an annual discount on the fee – contact us for the discount code. You can take advantage of Hallmaster’s offer of a free trial here: https://www.hallmaster.co.uk/free-trial/
Testimonials
‘I think it cannot be understated what a contribution you guys make. Negotiating the regulations and restrictions during the pandemic was made 100% easier with the information you provided and made keeping our hall safe and secure a breeze. Thank you again.’
‘I often refer to the ACRE website and publications – keep up the great work!’
‘Many thanks Angela for the breath of fresh air you have brought following Jenny’s many years of also excellent work. We are lucky to have ACRE and you.‘
