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'Village Halls Week 2023' will celebrate how Village Halls provide 'Warm, welcoming, and inclusive spaces' for all and will run from 23 - 29 January 2023.
This will be ACRE's sixth national campaign, to shine a spotlight on the contribution England’s 10,000+ village halls make to rural communities. It is an opportunity for hall management committees to celebrate their work and get inspiration from others.
How to get involved with Village Halls Week 2023
Why not plan an event - hold a coffee morning, afternoon tea or soup & roll lunch to fundraise for your Village Hall, showcase all the events and activities in the Hall and explain how trustees are working to make their Hall warm, welcoming, and inclusive!
This does not have to be a specially organised event - maybe a coffee morning happens every week in the hall and VHW could be part of that with an opportunity for new people to drop in and see what's happening. Open days don't have to be complicated - they could simply be an opportunity for people to pop by for cake, coffee and a chat whilst keeping warm!
Ask the people coming to give you feedback about how the hall serves the community and if there are other activities they would benefit from?
The campaign will share inspiring stories online and encourage halls to host open days during the week. We would love to hear what you are planning during the week, so that RAD can help to support and promote activities across the county. lt would also be great if you could help to highlight the campaign by sharing your activities on your own social media accounts.
Please register your interest with ACRE for the resource pack (N/B limited numbers available). If you are not lucky enough to receive one of the limited resource packs that have kindly been sponsored by Zurich, we can still request electronic copies of the VHW 2023 template poster and the logo (above) here, which you can then use to promote your own activities.
If you need any further information or support with VHW 2023, please do get in touch with Helena or Iona.
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Energy Webinar during VHW 2023
Wednesday 25th January at 10.00 am.
Join RAD and Utility Aid to help keep your hall warm this winter!
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As part of Village Hall Week 2023, we are offering a FREE online webinar to complement this year's theme of 'Warm, welcoming and inclusive spaces'.
RAD is already working in partnership with Utility Aid (UA) to help community halls to find ways to save money where they possibly can. This is especially relevant during the current energy crisis!
The session will cover:
- How to check your organisation's energy bills are accurate
- Energy Bill Relief Scheme and recommendations
- What to look for when renewing
- How to save costs and ways to become 'greener'
- New UA offer - Remote Energy Assessments
- Where to go for further advice and guidance
This session will be delivered by Emily Berry (Partnership Manager) and William Campbell (Commercial Director) both from Utility Aid. Following the presentation, there will be ample opportunity for delegates to discuss any energy concerns they may have in the Q&A session.
Please reserve your place here.
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Energy Update
As featured in our previous News Update, The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) which came into force on 1st November 2022, set energy price caps for both domestic and business & other non-domestic customers. This meant that for the first time, charitable and public-sector community halls, both classified as non-domestic, now have the benefit of a price cap until the end of March 2023.
Will it be extended - The Government has stated that it is committed to reviewing and replacing this scheme when it comes to an end with the terms of the review being published with the Autumn Statement. We anticipate that further details of the government's approach to the review will be published by the end of December.
You can read the government guidance on the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) for all non-domestic customers on the Government website. (updated 9th Dec).
Not connected to the gas grid?
In the Autumn Statement the Government announced that they will provide a fixed payment of £150 to all UK non-domestic consumers who are off the gas grid and use alternative fuels, with additional ‘top-up’ payments for large users of heating oil based on actual usage. At present, it's unclear how these 'top-up' payments will be calculated and what amount of heating oil usage will be clasified as large usage in order to be eligible for any additional payment?
RAD aims to map Derbyshire's village and community halls using oil for their main heating so that we can gauge which halls could be affected by the review. Can you please email RAD with the name of your hall and the average amount of oil used annually.
Log-in to read ACRE & UA's 'Urgent energy advice for village hall's this winter'.
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Warm Spaces Fund
Due to the popularity of their new Warm Spaces Fund, Derbyshire County Council (DCC) has increased the overall funding pot from £50,000 to £150,000 to help meet increasing demand.
The fund aims to support voluntary, community and charity organisations to help them provide a warm space for residents and their families struggling to heat their homes this winter. Grants of up to £1,000 are on offer to help towards the cost of opening up community venues or to extend their opening hours during these colder months. Village and community halls are central to most communities and are ideally placed to open up as warm places to provide a safe, warm refuge for residents who are struggling to heat their homes.
The amount of grant funding awarded will be determined following both assessment of eligibility criteria and consideration of the amount of hours that the warm space will be open, as well as the number of potential beneficiaries.
The money could be used to open new spaces or to extend opening hours where they are already running. It can be used to help towards the costs associated with running a building such as energy bills, cleaning or to provide activities or refreshments.
To qualify for a grant, organisations must pledge to offer a heated space during the winter months, provide seating, offer refreshments such as a warm drink and a biscuit and be free of charge.
Please email grants@derbyshire.gov.uk for a Warm Spaces application form.
Halls offering a Warm Space?
RAD is keen to know which halls are currently offering warm spaces or planning to do so this winter. Can you please email us and we'll add your details to our list. If you're not already on DCC's list of warm spaces, you can be included by contacting them here.
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New Offer from Utility Aid (UA)
All community buildings are concerned about their energy bills this winter, but many still don't know if or how they can reduce their energy costs? Paying for an on-site audit by an energy consultant can be quite expensive for many, especially for the smaller village halls and may not be deemed cost effective and not all groups have the confidence or skills to undertake this themselves.
Utility Aid is now able to offer a practical alternative solution, that should be much more affordable for village and community halls. UA now offer a remote service by using your mobile phone that connects to a qualified Energy Assessor who will tour your building with you virtually via video link. This will enable them to assess all areas of your building's energy usage which, following a review of the findings with you, is produced into a comprehensive report.
Having written evidence of your building's fabric, energy efficiency and energy usage is essential if your hall is seeking grant or loan funding to improve it's energy efficiency or for installing renewable energy technologies!
To learn more about this new offer please log-in to access the Remote Discovery Document and view a sample report, or please contact us at RAD. To learn more about our partnership with Utility Aid, please refer to our website. Why not join our Energy Webinar on 25th January where you can meet members of the UA team.
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Key Fund - Flexible Finance Fund (Loan Funding)
Flexible Finance Fund for established community groups and social enterprises. If your hall needs to invest available up to £150,000 that can be drawn and repaid flexibly as needed, for an initial period of up to 5 years. Any balance at the end of five years then converts into a standard loan, repayable over three years. It is intended to help you keep your cash flow smooth by covering (bridging) gaps plus also provides flexibility to maximise opportunities. Further details can be found here.
Big Issue Invest - Energy Savings Loans
Big Issue Invest is offering loan finance between £20,000 to £150,000 to social enterprises and charities in England, for energy efficiency and renewable energy installation. This lending programme is aimed at enabling social enterprises and charities to access loan funding to help save money on energy during the unprecedented cost of living crisis. For further details or to register your interest, please refer to their website here.
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RAD's Village Halls Membership Area
Subscribers to our new village and community halls membership scheme, can login to the members area to access additional information and resources relevant to halls. We are continuingly updating and adding to these resources so that members can benefit from a wider range of information, e.g. new funders, template policies and procedures, research reports, insurance tips, webinars and topic sheets.
The latest additions include:
Utility Aid - Remote Discovery Document and Remote Building Assessment
Utility Aid - Latest Energy Update (23 Nov): Tips on Reducing On-Site Consumption and Becoming Greener.
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Join our new Village & Community Halls Membership Service:
and help us to continue delivering dedicated advice and support to halls across Derbyshire.
For further details, please refer to our webpage or contact Iona Peat.
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Dates for Your Diary
Village Halls Week - 23 - 29 January 2023
Energy Webinar with Utility Aid - Wednesday 25th January - 10.00am
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