Community Futures understands how important community and village halls are to the communities they serve and the impact that COVID-19 has had on the survival and sustainability of much needed facilities. Activities that have helped to reduce isolation and improve health and wellbeing have been severely restricted and we remain committed to making sure that they are not permanently lost to communities. We are pleased to say that BIG Lottery agrees with us! We have been funded to deliver a six-month COVID-19 Emergency Response project, which started on 1st July 2020, to provide information, advice and guidance to people using, managing and governing community buildings. Our dedicated Community Adviser is on hand to support individuals with their specific needs as well as to share useful information and working documents – all specifically designed for community buildings. 

Whilst the project enables us to engage directly with all Village Halls and Community Buildings in Lancashire, we are committed to building a large network of village and community halls, owned by communities, that we hope will continue to grow into a strong, funded resource in the future. To this end, we are encouraging all village and community halls in Lancashire to become members of Community Futures so that we can continue to provide support beyond the life of the project.

The project is open to all village and community halls in Lancashire and provides;

  • practical support, including information and guidance on how to re-open buildings safely and legally
  • Building and hirer risk assessment templates that can be adapted for individual use
  • Access to information sheets covering a wide range of issues related to managing community buildings
  • Regular updates on changes to legislation specific to COVID-19
  • Information on funding opportunities
  • Advice on policies, procedures and governance
  • Access to training opportunities
  • Direct access to the Community Adviser for queries and advice

For more information please contact admin@communityfutures.org.uk