100 Years Young - Celebrating Village Halls Week & RAD's Centenary

The annual Village Halls Week campaign is returning in 2024 from 18th to 24th March, and Rural Action Derbyshire’s Village Halls & Community Buildings Advisory Service is celebrating it alongside its 100-year anniversary.  

Since the first Village Halls Week in 2018, the campaign has become more popular year after year, with awareness being raised through social media and community events.

With over 10,000 community buildings across the country, and 250 in Derbyshire alone, there is a great need to support these hearts of rural communities. They range from Village, Town, and Church Halls to Clubhouses and Community Centres, and each must at any given time act as and observe the practices and legislation of a public building, function room, childcare centre, theatre, or cinema. In addition to these requirements, these places are not run by industry professionals but by volunteers passionate about the community they serve. 

As well as raising awareness for Village Halls, this year's campaign will focus on how hall management committees can make their buildings more energy efficient. This will not only make sure that they can reduce running costs and provide a better service but also spur on the initiatives that contribute towards Net Zero in their community.   

ACRE’s Village Halls Manager, Deborah Clarke said, “We’re pleased to announce that Village Halls Week 2024 will return in March next year on the theme of environmental sustainability. Following conversations with colleagues in the ACRE Network, we decided to hold the campaign in springtime when the weather should be better, making it easier for halls to host local events that engage their community.”  

As well as Village Halls Week, Rural Action Derbyshire is celebrating 100 years of service to the community. Since 1924 the charity, then known as Derbyshire Rural Community Council (DRCC) has been helping village halls with their operation, compliance, and legislation to effectively support their areas. Over the next several decades the organisation's work in Derbyshire has become more varied, coming to encompass vital projects such as food poverty, digital inclusion, and rural domestic abuse awareness.  

Thursday 21st March will see us celebrate with our Centenary Symposium.

The event will take place at Masson Mills in Cromford, Matlock, and is open to trustees and committee members, those who run or volunteer at community buildings. It will feature a variety of talks on Village Halls Week, environmental issues, and energy saving, and also consider how VHCBs will have to adapt to meet future community needs in a rapidly changing world.  

 Tickets are available for £10, or £5 to Affiliation Scheme members, book your place below.

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