“Village halls are facing a bleak future because a new generation of young volunteers are failing to step forward to help run them.
Once the cornerstone of local communities, Britain’s 10,000 halls are under threat as an ageing group of 80,000 volunteers continues to dwindle.
Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) said halls have struggled to recruit the next generation to keep the community spaces going and are calling for drastic action. …
… England’s 10,000 village halls rely on more than 12 million hours of volunteering each year, according to a national survey by ACRE.
But more than half of the halls who responded to the survey said they were struggling to find new recruits to help manage the buildings – with people saying they were too busy, too old or simply not interested. …
… Meanwhile, supporters of village halls are doing everything they can to keep the community spaces alive.
The recently launched National Village Hall & Community Network now has 300 hall committees signed up, contributing to discussions and advising on how to move forward. And innovative projects like the first Passivhaus village hall – an energy efficient building – have received Lottery funding.”
East Devon Watch 