‘Halls for All: A History of Village Halls’

‘Halls for All: A History of Village Halls’, was published on 15th March 2025.  Written by David Clark and Louise Beaton, a recent trustee of ACRE, with a foreword by HRH The Princess Royal it is the story of how our community-owned and managed halls came into being.  It deserved to be told and highlights the social and physical aspects of activities and events halls provide and the important role of volunteers.

The book brings village halls up to the modern day and shows how important the support from ACRE Network members has been in the development, modernisation and survival of Halls over the last century, including during Covid.

The final chapter offers an insight into the lessons learned and discusses the key challenges and opportunities for England’s 10,000 village halls in the future.