Celebrating 100 Years Together: Village Halls Week 2021

Monday 25 January – Friday 29 January 2021

Village Halls Week is a national celebration of the 10,000+ village halls which can be found across England, their volunteers and the difference they make to the rural communities they serve.

Our 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 we will be moving this activity online in the spirit of the times.

We encourage all village halls to join us in this national celebration:

Register to take part in online events (links below)
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Sign our Village Halls Centenary ‘Doomsday Book’ to tell MPs about the good work you’ve been doing
Contact your ACRE Network member to find out what’s going on locally and check this listing

Programme

Monday
Listen to opening speeches by Lord Gardiner, ACRE’s Executive Director Richard Quallington and our in-house expert Deborah Clarke celebrating a century of village halls. We’ll be posting these to our social media feeds…
Tuesday
Share stories about your hall on social media and by signing our Doomsday Book, telling us about the activities and events you host and the difference it has made to people in your community. As part of this, we will provide a sportlight on rural touring, including an event by NRTF
Wednesday
Join an online event sponsored by Norris & Fisher to find out how your village hall can recover from Covid-19. Register your place
Thursday
Be a part of a conversation about what the future holds for village halls and join an online event sponsored by Utility Aid to find out how your village halls can contribute to a zero-carbon future. Register your place
Friday
Listen to a podcast sponsored by Allied Westminster with Louise Beaton OBE discussing the history of village halls. Louise is a special adviser to Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and was recently recognised in the New Year’s Honours for her long-standing dedication to village and community halls. Register your interest.

Village Halls Week 2021 is generously sponsored by the following organisations:

The UK’s largest broker for the not-for-profit sector. Using our scale to make unbeatable savings on your energy bills. Guaranteed.

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Norris & Fisher are specialist charity insurance brokers who offer a tailored policy for village halls and community buildings.

Visit

Allied Westminster are the exclusive providers of VillageGuard (Village Hall insurance)

Visit