The Village Halls Summit held in Aviemore on Saturday 23rd February 2008, had a wonderful buzz about it. It was great to see delegates from hall committees from all over Scotland bringing bags of energy, experience and enthusiasm to the event.

The event attracted 250 people from all across Scotland. It was a great chance for people who manage village halls and community facilities to meet with each other to share ideas and experiences.

The conference, organised by SCVO, was also an opportunity to hear from funders, politicians and civil servants who provide support for community buildings, and to put questions to them in the panel session.

Alison Elliot, SCVO Convenor, welcomed delegates to the conference and praised community buildings as the "warm heart of communities". Delegates heard a range of presentations, including a keynote address from Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment Richard Lochhead, Sandra Hogg’s Brief History of Village Halls, and case studies from village halls and community facilities.

Cabinet Secretary’s funding announcement

Keynote speaker Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, applauded the work of volunteers in rural communities. He said, "There is a long and proud tradition in rural areas of communities getting on and doing things for themselves. I understand and applaud this. I also recognise the challenges this creates.”

Richard also announced new funding to help rural communities apply for funding for their community facilities. The Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) (Rural Priorities), opening in April 2008, will be able to fund constituted rural community groups who want to add to or improve community services and facilities. Support for communities wishing to access this funding will be provided by the Crofters Commission in crofting areas and SCVO in the rest of Scotland.

The Cabinet Secretary said, "Last August the Scottish Government awarded £100,000 per annum to the Crofters Commission to enable them to continue supporting crofting communities in drawing up investment plans. At that time I pledged to consider how similar support could be provided for the rest of Scotland.

"We shall be awarding almost £200,000 to the SCVO to support non crofting areas. The measure of success for both the Crofters Commission and the SCVO will be how well this meets the needs of rural communities. Our target is to ensure a good quality ongoing rolling programme of funding applications. This will empower local communities and harness an enthusiasm to build sustainable futures."

Later in the day, Yvonne Summers from the Scottish Government presented more details on the Scotland Rural Development Programme.

Richard Lochhead also announced funding for research into village halls and facilities that will help target the funding available in the SRDP.

Round table discussions

An important part of the day was the round table discussions. The buzz and energy of the sessions was great, with people at over 25 tables in one large function room discussing problems and issues facing their community facilities and village halls.

Not surprisingly, funding was a major issue, along with red tape and compliance with legislation, such as licensing regulations. Concerns were also raised about where to find information and the need to ensure sustainability, not only of buildings, but of hall committees themselves.

Later in the day, groups discussed actions that could be taken to help resolve some of these problems. For example, funders were asked to work together more to develop a more straightforward funding landscape.

What next?

Commenting on the success of the Summit, SCVO’s Rural Policy Manager Norman MacAskill said, "It’s all too easy to take Village Halls for granted, but this event showed the energy, enthusiasm and determination that’s out there in Scotland’s rural communities when it comes to supporting these vital community spaces. Representatives came from all over Scotland, and they were united in their determination to get a better deal for village halls and other community facilities. We’ll be making sure their collective voice is heard loud and clear by the people who can provide the funding and support.

"The first ever Village Halls Summit is only the beginning. In the coming months, we’ll be developing a series of events and initiative to make sure that the issue of rural Scotland’s community buildings remains high on the political agenda."

Conference report, photos and presentations

The full conference report will be posted on the website as soon as it is available. In the meantime, some of the presentations and photos from the day are available below.

Village Halls Summit Photos

A Brief History of Village Halls - Sandra Hogg
Guildtown Community Association - Jack Welch
Haugh of Urr Village Hall - Keith Warford
Scotland Rural Development Programme - Yvonne Summers