Rural Community Gateway

The Village Halls Summit 2008 will bring together the people who run community facilities such as Village Halls from across Scotland, along with representatives of the organisations who fund and support them. Participants in the Summit will look at the challenges facing these vital community assets and map out a way forward to develop, maintain and sustain them for future generations. The event is organised by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and supported by the Scottish Government, along with Highlands & Islands Enterprise.
The keynote address at the event will be given by Richard Lochhead MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment. In a statement in the Parliament on 17 January, he said: “SCVO is holding a conference in February on the future of village halls. I am looking forward to hearing the outcome of the deliberations then to see how the Government can further help to sustain our rural communities generally and village halls and facilities in particular.”

The programme also features a presentation entitled A Brief History of Village Halls, case studies illustrating the challenges and successes faced by the people who manage community facilities, and a presentation on the new funding for communities available under the Scottish Rural Development Programme. At the heart of the event will be a series of facilitated discussion sessions allowing those involved in running rural Scotland's village halls and community facilities to have their say on the challenges they face and to tell the funders and politicians what needs to be done to develop and sustain them. This will be followed by a panel discussion with senior representatives of bodies involved in the funding and support of village halls, addressing the issues identified in the earlier session.

SCVO’s Rural Policy Manager Norman MacAskill said: “SCVO has helped to raise the issue of Village Halls up the political agenda with our recent “Halls for All” campaign. We’re delighted that the Scottish Government has responded by agreeing to support this important event, which will broaden the agenda to include other community facilities, and will try to map out a way forward.

“A summit is defined as a meeting of high-level leaders. In rural Scotland, there’s nobody more important than the people who manage and maintain the Village Halls and other facilities at the heart of our communities. We aim to give them the chance to find out the latest thinking from the Government – and to have their say in a way that really will make a difference.”

The event is free and a high turnout is expected. The number of places is limited, so it is essential that you book early. Assistance with essential travel and accommodation expenses will be available where required for representatives of Hall Committees and other small community-based voluntary organisations.

 Book now!

Exhibition space is also available and if you wish to book a place please contact Sandra Hogg.

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