OG68 C1 - ORGANISATIONS THAT CAN HELP VILLAGE HALLS

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OPERATIONAL GUIDANCE

MANAGEMENT OF VILLAGE HALLS

ORGANISATIONS THAT CAN HELP VILLAGE HALLS

OG 68 C1 – 12 April 2005

Purpose

This guidance lists the organisations that can be of help to village halls.

Functional responsibility

For action

Regulation and Enablement Division (RED)
Status

For information

All operational divisions

Contents

1. Organisations list
2. Organisations offering grants and loans

Index to further related information


The Law	Refer to a lawyer	Refer to an accountant

1. Organisations list
	A number of organisations are available to help village halls by means of information, advice training and grants.

	Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE)
	This is the national association of the Rural Community Councils in England. ACRE provides a national advisory service for village halls in England, supporting village hall advisers based in Rural Community Councils (RCCs). It provides training and regular information updates for RCC staff, publishes a number of books and information sheets, takes up more problematic issues with relevant authorities and provides legal and practical advice.
	The address is, Somerford Court, Somerford Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire. GL 7 1TW.
	Web address for village hall information
	Telephone: 01285 653477
	email: acre@acre.org.uk

	Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA)
	This organisation represents the interests of and campaigns for voluntary organisations, volunteers and communities in Wales. It provides a comprehensive range of information, consultancy, funding, management, and training services.
	In addition to the services provided above the WCVA have a specific support and advice service for all community buildings in Wales, which would include village halls. There is an agreement between ACRE and WCVA to the effect that all Wales generated inquires received by ACRE will be forwarded to WCVA.
	The address is WCVA, Baltic House, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff. CF 10 5FH.
	Web address: http://www.wcva.org.uk
	Telephone 02920 431700
	email: acre@acre.org.uk
	Helpline for the voluntary sector: telephone 0870 607 1666.

	National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service
	This is the national umbrella body for Councils for Voluntary Service in England. A local Council for Voluntary Service provides advice, support and information to voluntary organisations and charities in their area, including help with charity registration. The National Association can put charities in touch with their local CVS.
	The address is, NACVS, 3^rd Floor Arundel Court, 177 Arundel Street, Sheffield. S1 2NU.
	Web address: http://www.nacvs.org.uk
	Telephone: 0114 278 6636
	email: nacvs@nacvs.org.uk

	Wales Association of County Voluntary Councils (WACVC)
	This is the umbrella body for the local Councils for Voluntary Service in Wales. The local Councils will provide support advice and information to voluntary organisations in their area.
	The address is, WCVA, Baltic House Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff. CF10 5FH.

	Community Matters
	This is the nationwide federation for community associations and similar organisations. Its trading subsidiary Community Trading Services Ltd (CTS) offers an information and consultancy service for organisations wishing to operate a bar. This service is available to village halls.
	The address is CTS Ltd, 12-20 Baron Street, London N1 9LL.
	Telephone: 020 7837 7887
	email: communitymatters@communitymatters.org.uk
	Web address: http://www.communitymatters.org.uk
	The Web address for CTS is: http://www.communitymatters.org.uk/services/bar_separation.php

2. Organisations offering grants and loans
	A number of organisations are able to offer grants to charities to further their work. We cannot assist a village hall with their application for a grant, however, the organisations listed in section 1 are able to give help and advice with this activity. This list is not exhaustive but simply gives some of the main sources of funding for village halls.

	Local authorities
	Local authorities, although not all, make grants available for local voluntary building projects for village halls and community centres. Local authorities in England and Wales include County, Unitary, District, Borough and Parish Councils (in Wales a Community Council is the equivalent of a Parish Council).

	Rural Community Councils
	Most local authorities in rural areas use the rural community councils as agents in assessing grant applications and determining aid. However, the allocation of grants rests ultimately with the individual local authority and priorities may differ from authority to authority.
	The RCCs will usually have a Village Hall Adviser who will have an in depth knowledge of halls in their area. They can provide useful background information, for example local history or personality clashes amongst the committee members. The RCC is usually the first organisation we contact where a village hall has a funding or development problem. They may already have prior knowledge of the situation and discussing issues with them may avoid duplication of action. ACRE can provide relevant contact names and addresses.

	The Countryside Agency
	The Countryside Agency (previously the Rural Development Commission) runs the Community Service Fund. The aim of the fund is:
	to improve access to and the quality of services for rural people, especially the most needy; and
	to increase viability and encourage innovative solutions to the delivery of services.
	Eligible services include those in village hall/community centres and in churches, and encompass community-led shops or post offices, childcare services, information or internet points, services for young children, young people, the elderly or other needy groups.
	Grants of between £500 and £25,000 are available, with a maximum of 75% of the project cost being covered by the grant in the case of voluntary organisations.
	Further details are available from Rural Community Councils. Completed applications will need to be sent to the Agency's regional office, for which the RCCs can provide addresses.
	ACRE also administers a loan fund on behalf of the Countryside Agency towards capital improvements, such as extensions or rebuilding costs. Trustees should make inquiries with their Rural Community Council.

	The National Lottery
	The Lottery is a major source of grants for both charitable and non-charitable organisations, with the Big Lottery Fund being the main source of funding for village halls. Grants are administered through different bodies each with its own policy, rules and application process. Those bodies are:
	The Arts Council;
	The Sports Council;
	UK Sport
	The Heritage Lottery Fund;
	The Millennium Commission; and
	The Big Lottery Fund.
	Contact details for these organisations are shown below.

	Contact addresses
	The Arts Council of England, 2 Pear Tree Court, London EC1R 0DS. Telephone 0845 300 6200. Web: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk
	The Arts Council of Wales, 9 Museum Place, Cardiff CF1 3NX. Telephone 029 2037 6500. Web: http://www.artswales.org
	Sport England, 3rd Floor, Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square,, London WC1B 4SE. Telephone Lottery Line 020 7273 1500. email: info@sportengland.org Web: http://www.sportengland.org
	UK Sport, 40 Bernard Street, London WC1N 1ST. Telephone 0207211 5100. email: info@uksport.gov.uk Web: http://www.uksport.gov.uk
	Sports Council for Wales, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff CF1 9SW. Telephone 029 2030 0500. email: publicity@scw.co.uk Web: http://www.sports-council-wales.co.uk
	The Heritage Lottery Fund, 7 Holbein Place, London SW1W 8NR. Telephone 020 7591 6042. email:enquire@hlf.org.uk Web: http://www.hlf.org.uk
	The Millennium Commission, 1 Plough Place, LondonEC4A 1DE. Telephone 020 7880 2001. Web: http://www.millennium.gov.uk
	The Big Lottery Fund, 1 Plough Place London, EC4A 1DE. Telephone 0845 410 2030. Web: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Index to further related information