In her latest blog, our Village Halls Advisor, Lisa, talks about what her roles involves, her day-to-day work and what gives her the most satisfaction.

 

Since 2015, I’ve had the privilege of working as Village Halls Advisor for Cambridgeshire ACRE. My role is to support the trustees and volunteers who run village halls and community buildings across the county, helping them keep their spaces welcoming, safe and sustainable.

Village halls are the beating hearts of rural life. They host everything from celebration parties and yoga classes to polling stations and community coffee mornings. My job is to help trustees with the practicalities behind the scenes, so they can focus on bringing people together in their communities.

 

Advice and guidance you can trust

No two days are the same, one day I might be explaining charity law to a new trustee. The next, I could be helping a committee review their health and safety policy or navigate a tricky lease agreement. For example, I recently supported a community building in East Cambridgeshire who have undergone significant committee changes. They are reviewing all their policies and procedures so I provided sample templates documents as well as ongoing email advice and guidance. Within a few weeks they had adopted new policies and procedures to ensure the governance of their charity was strengthened and improved.

Building skills and confidence

We run training and information sessions on everything from basic trustee responsibilities to fire safety and protecting community spaces. These sessions are about building knowledge and confidence, not just ticking boxes. One South Cambridgeshire hall came to me unsure about health & safety regulations relating to their kitchen. I was able to carry out research into the subject and offer guidance to the trustees and also point them in the direction of further resources available on the HSE website.

Supporting big dreams and small fixes

Sometimes I’m involved in advising on major refurbishments. Other times, it’s about solving a smaller problem quickly so activities can go ahead. We pride ourselves on having a very responsive service so trustees can email or pick up the phone and speak to someone who can help. Much of our case work with a community building can take place over months or sometimes years; during this time we are able to build a relationship with the committee and I enjoy getting to know the trustees.

Connecting people and ideas

Village halls thrive when they share ideas and we are building a strong network of Peer Mentors. The Peer Mentors are trustees who volunteer with us to help and support other trustees across the county. We are also developing an online platform called Community Buildings Connect, encouraging trustees to share information, ask questions and swap tips. We hope that by sharing resources and inspiring each other, this will lead to fresh ideas and stronger communities.

Celebrating successes

The Hallmark Accreditation Scheme is one way we recognise the high standards of governance, community involvement and sustainability achieved by halls across the county. It’s always a pleasure to present certificates to volunteers who give so much of their time and energy.

Why it matters to me

Every hall I work with is different, but they all share the same purpose to bring people together. Supporting the volunteers who make that happen is a very rewarding job and I enjoy my work.

 

If you are a trustee, or thinking about becoming one, or simply curious about your local village hall, I would love to hear from you. Whether you need advice, training or just a friendly chat about what’s possible, I’m here to help. To contact me, email lisa.chambers@cambsacre.org.uk or pick up the phone and call me on 01353 865048.