DCT has been supporting Devon's Village Halls for 65 years. A recent initiative is to support the set up of Village Hall Clusters in the Devon districts, which bring together local halls for peer support. The most recent cluster we've established is in West Devon...
West Devon is a disparate rural district of the county, divided by a large area of Dartmoor. This compromises communication and infrastructure. Village Halls and Community Buildings through West Devon did not have a support network between themselves and so much good knowledge and practice was going on in isolation. Conversely, problems were also being magnified because of isolation. We needed to develop a structure of support to facilitate peer contact and sharing of knowledge between DCT and the network of halls and community buildings that uses our joint resources effectively.
We contacted all of the village halls throughout the district, suggesting a meeting to share information and ask questions. From this, we have facilitated regular meetings, which are shared across venues throughout the district. We have established a shared email list and a WhatsApp group of village halls, and we collate an agenda of questions generated by village halls for each meeting. The cluster is used as a forum to share relevant information, good practice and updates. Halls suggest agenda items and frequency of meetings, which take place by invitation at different halls around the district.
So far, outcomes have included:
- West Devon District Council utilised meetings to inform halls and answer questions about funding for capital projects they were offering; 14 applications have since made by cluster attendees
- Greater resilience and knowledge for hall trustees, especially in governance, policies, trustee liability and safety
- Improved peer support through cluster meetings, which has led to halls making connections they have continued outside of our meetings
- New halls joining as members of DCT, leading to them being connected to a network of valued support
- Halls are aware of - and regularly requesting - ACRE model policy documents as an ongoing habit, leading to better governance and sustainability
“Keep up the good work, it is so good to feel supported.” Milton Abbot Village Hall Trustee