Village Halls Week 2023 runs from Monday 23rd to Sunday 29th January.

This important week in our annual calendar is designed to showcase the amazing work of village halls and the value in their communities. The theme of Village Halls Week 2023 is “Warm, welcoming and inclusive spaces” – so pertinent to the Winter Warm Hubs running this Winter.

To mark this year’s celebration, we are running a number of events during the week:

Wednesday 25th January 10am – 12noon:
Utility Aid presentation and Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Fund with Q & A

This first session will be delivered by Emily Berry (Partnership Manager) and William Campbell (Commercial Director), both from Utility Aid. Following the presentation, delegates will have ample opportunity to discuss any energy concerns they may have in the Q&A session. 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 Utility Aid offer – Remote Energy Assessments
• Where to go for further advice and guidance

A short session will then follow this to introduce the recently launched Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Fund. The first round of the fund to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee opened on 20th December with a deadline of  20th January 2023, with further funding rounds to be announced. We will explain how the fund is being administered, how to apply and the key eligibility criteria. Delegates will also be able to ask specific questions about their projects. Please register here: https://www.ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk/Event/village-halls-week-with-utility-aid

(Please note this session will be open to halls across the whole Midlands Region and will be run by Rural Action Derbyshire)

Thursday 26th January 11am – 12noon:
Dementia Friendly Village and Community Halls

This session will introduce a helpful guide and checklist for Village and Community Halls, which focus on the needs of people living with Dementia but will also be of relevance to hall users with other disabilities. We hope that the approach and the resources developed will be used to kick-start action locally, to support the inclusion of people living with Dementia and their families to fully share in the benefits that village and community halls can offer to their local communities. Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dementia-friendly-village-and-community-halls-tickets-509386908957

Friday 27th January 11am – 12noon:
Halls Together Network Event – Village Halls Week

An opportunity for us to network, chat, celebrate our warm, welcoming and inclusive halls and share our stories and plans for the year. Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/halls-together-network-event-village-halls-week-tickets-509394712297