Village halls and community buildings

THE FIRST EVER DEVON VILLAGE HALLS AUDIT PROJECT IS NOW COMPLETE. WE ARE PLEASED TO LAUNCH THE FINAL REPORT AND BRAND NEW VILLAGE HALLS COMMUNITY ASSET MAP

Devon Communities Together began carrying out the first ever audit of Village Halls across Devon in September 2022. The programme was funded by Devon County Council Public Health, One Devon NHS and DEFRA. The project completed in March 2024, having carried out 339 face-to-face Village Hall audits. 

Devon’s Village Halls and Community Buildings are significant community assets, but there has never been a central database containing information about the facilities they have or how they are used, until now. The audit was designed to find out what these community assets currently offer and to assess the underused potential that can be harnessed through the Village Halls that could provide even greater and vibrant services to their communities. The full report from DCT shares exclusive evidence on many key areas from audited halls, ranging from financial sustainability, digital connectivity and access to good quality Wi-Fi, to services for children and young people and environmental sustainability.

THE FINAL VILLAGE HALLS AUDIT ANALYSIS REPORT REPORT CAN BE READ HERE

A key achievement from undertaking the Village Hall Audit has been using the data to create a brand new, first-of-its-kind Village Halls Asset Map; an online interactive service that allows users to search for Village Halls and Community Buildings in districts across Devon, choosing certain criteria and filtering results based on their facilities. This tool is straightforward to use and makes sourcing the right hall for your activity much easier. 

THE VILLAGE HALLS COMMUNITY ASSET MAP CAN BE SEEN HERE

Since its foundation in 1961, Devon Communities Together has supported Devon’s village halls and community buildings in their aspiration to become welcoming, sustainable, and flourishing centres of their communities.

There are over four hundred village halls and similar community buildings across Devon that provide a meeting place for the communities they serve.

On this page, you will find information about support and services that can assist community buildings in working towards their short-term and long-term goals. 

Devon Communities Together is part of the ACRE Network (Action with Communities in Rural England). 

Get Support

Village Halls and Community Buildings 

Village halls are used for social, recreational, cultural, sporting, educational purposes and much more. They are run by volunteer trustees who are collectively responsible for making sure that the village halls are well used within the law, kept safe and secure and also reflect community aspirations. Here at Devon Communities Together we have a team of expert advisors who can support trustees and management committees, in provide training and advice on a whole range of issues connected with the successful running of a community building. For the full range of support, become a member. 

Click here to become a member

For advice and support, contact our Village Hall Advisers at: info@devoncommunities.org.uk  /  01392 248919

Catalyst

Catalyst, from Devon Communities Together, supports businesses, local councils, social enterprises and community groups with a wide range of professional consultancy services. We draw on 60 years’ experience in rural and community development to help communities progress matters that are important to them. Our team comprises of a range of in-house experts and specialist registered associates, with qualifications and a track record that means we can provide you with the bespoke service you need.

 Click here to find out more about Catalyst 

East Devon VCSE (voluntary, community and social enterprise) support

We are here to support VCSE organisations in East Devon to achieve their purpose, which includes village halls and community buildings. 

You'll benefit from advice, support and training for the whole sector in areas such as governance, funding and volunteer support. Why not check out the training opportunities - they're all free as long as you are a VCSE organisation based in East Devon!  

Click here for more information on support for East Devon VCSE's 

Get Involved

Membership of Devon Communities Together

Becoming a member of Devon Communities Together provides Village Halls and Community buildings access to a whole range of bespoke support and training. Devon Communities Together supports trustees, management committees and provides training and advice on a whole range of issues such as charity structures and constitutions; operational requirements e.g hire agreements, health and safety policies, safeguarding, licensing, fire regulations; funding and project planning for upgrading, extensions and new-build projects.

We will provide a basic advice service to all community buildings, but our member halls will benefit from a more extensive service with on-going support in meeting needs; training and information events; inclusion on our mailing list for general briefings; funding information; their own page on this website and free access to a range of policies and ACRE publications. 

Our membership is open to all community organisations, parish and town councils, recreation associations, playing field management committees, sports clubs and to individuals who wish to join our projects or support our work.

 click here for more information and to join

Village Hall Clusters

Join an area meeting of halls to share your experiences as a management committee, with peer support, training and events. Currently there are active village hall groups in North Devon, South Hams and East Devon. Other areas are coming soon.

To join a cluster or start one in your area email info@devoncommunities.org.uk 

Next meetings:

Hallshare (North Devon and Torridge) - 23rd July 19:00 - Berrynarbour Manor Hall

East Devon Village Hall Cluster - 30th October 10:30-12:00 - Whimple Village Hall

Training

Devon Communities Together offer a range of training on topics designed to help village halls and community buildings. Whether it’s understanding the roles of trustees, how to write a business plan, extending the use of your hall or being grant funding ready, look out for our new programme of workshops coming in the Autumn. 

For a topic you would like included or if you would like bespoke training, email us with your ideas and suggestions info@devoncommunities.org.uk 

Get Information

Village Halls and Community Buildings 

As part of Devon Communities Together membership each member hall has its own page our website. Including information on facilities and how to book.

Click here to view information about all our member halls

RESOURCES, LINKS AND SOURCES OF FURTHER INFORMATION FOR COMMUNITY BUILDINGS AND VILLAGE HALLS

We have a dedicated page of useful information for village halls and community buildings. Including:

• Funding sources 
• Governance
• Policies and templates 
• Community business support 
• Volunteering 
• Sustainability / resilience / conservation 
• Sources of data 
• Training, Health and wellbeing 
• Arts and heritage

Click here for resources, links and further information

other news from Devon communities together

Click here for our news webpage