Project Report: Digital Opportunities for ACRE’s Village Halls Advice and Information Service

How can digital applications be used to improve the information and advice offered to England’s 10,000+ village halls?

This report summarises a project undertaken by ACRE between 2021/22 which reviewed how digital solutions could be deployed for the improvement of the Village Halls Advice and Information Service offered to voluntary committees who manage rural community buildings across England.

Evidence is drawn from engagement with ACRE Network practitioners who were canvassed about their experiences and views of the service during two workshops held in the autumn of 2021 and a survey of village hall advisers in March 2022. Their insight has been used to identify areas of the service that could benefit from development by utilising digital applications.

Opportunities to develop the Village Halls Advice and Information Service exist with respect to improving the experience for end users, making this a more consistent offer to village halls across England, and adopting more efficient approaches to its delivery.

Recommendations:

  1. Developing standardised digital processes for receiving and triaging initial enquiries
  2. Implementing a CRM to better record and manage relationships with village halls
  3. Improving the presentation of information and resources for halls by making content more accessible and engaging online