The campaign week, now in its 4th year, is set to take place from Monday 25th to Friday 29th January and will feature online events, videos, podcasts, and blogs showcasing the history of village halls and the benefits they have derived over the years. It is a national celebration of all halls and the difference the volunteers who run them make to the rural communities they serve.
ACRE's 2021 campaign will be a celebration of how village halls are survivors. Many have been bringing people together in rural communities since the 1920s. And in the past year, the volunteers who manage these buildings have shown great determination and resilience in the face of Coronavirus, negotiating lockdowns and putting in place Covid Secure measures so they could continue supporting their local community.
As social gatherings are currently off-limits, Village Halls Week will look at bit different in 2021. In the past ACRE network members have hosted various events across the country but this year they will be moving this activity online in the spirit of the times.
ACRE encourage all village halls to join them in this national celebration:
• Register to take part in online events - links below.
• Follow ACRE on social media.
• Sign ACRE's Village Halls Centenary ‘Doomsday’ Book to tell MPs about the good work you’ve been doing - coming soon!
• Contact your ACRE Network member to find out what’s going on locally and check this listing
• Contact your ACRE Network member to find out what’s going on locally and check this listing
Managed by volunteers, village and community halls support a diverse range of community activities from exercise classes to coffee mornings and are routinely hired out for private parties and weddings. Some host community shops and post offices.
In a survey undertaken by ACRE last year, it was found that 60% of village halls provide the only meeting space in the local community. An estimated 50,000 individuals to are reliant on the use of village halls to make a living.
Information about Village Halls Week 2021, including a programme, is available on the ACRE website at >> www.acre.org.uk
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