Heart of the community: village halls conference report

Village halls are often the heart of a community. They are places for people to gather, learn, access services and have fun. Making sure they are well run and maintained is an important but not always easy role, often fulfilled by committed volunteers and workers.

On 1 May 2024, SCVO - working in partnership with a range of delivery partners including Scottish Rural Action, Development Trusts Association Scotland and Scottish Rural Network - hosted a conference aimed at those running village and community halls across Scotland. Delegates joined both online and in-person at Birnam Arts to connect, share ideas, and inspire each other.

94 delegates, facilitators and speakers travelled from all across Scotland, with over 70 more delegates joining online via Zoom. The programme had a mix of presentations, workshops and breakout sessions, touching on themes like energy and sustainability, succession planning and getting young people involved in village and community spaces, facilities management, and financial stability.

Feedback about the Village and Community Halls Handbook, launched some months prior, was gained and insights into how to further enhance the handbook were discissed. 

A full event report including details of individual sessions, case studies and other resources can be found at a dedicated resource page on the SCVO website here