Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland

Impact report - the Community Spaces Partnership

Overview

The CSP project team set out with the following purpose:

Over the 18 months of the project, 25 communities will benefit from resilient, future-proofed village halls and community spaces, enhancing access to services and reducing isolation. At least 125 village hall committee members will have been supported to deliver capital commissions, with increased skills for them as individuals and to share within their community. 150 village halls and community spaces will benefit from wider support on their sustainability journey through the coordinated support provided by the three project partners. At the end of the project, the evaluation will have identified what works in each area and why, enabling replication in other areas. The evaluation will measure the impact of the investment on both outputs and outcomes with village hall committee members.

To evaluate these goals and understand the impact of the CSP on communities, we visited community spaces to carry out interviews and survey hall users.

The evaluation found that these aims have been met or exceeded, with community spaces, communities, and the partners benefitting in a range of ways from this pilot project. These benefits are summarised in the sections below, and in our report.

Read the report here
20250305 123048

Key successes

Place-based approach

The CSP’s place-based approach has been effective, combining funding with support and guidance from ACRE network partners to help with the application process, project design and project management.

The partners have built lasting and fruitful relationships, enabling them to share advice and knowledge, and to develop and progress new projects outside the CSP.

Wraparound support provided

The Development Officers provided comprehensive support to community spaces for each stage, which was described by trustees as “invaluable” and “personable”, making the process more accessible and providing support for halls through project difficulties. They successfully identified projects that were implementable within the timeframes of the project, and they have supported a pipeline of potential future projects to progress in upcoming funding rounds. They have also been involved in creating resources that are (or will shortly be) available publicly, including on legal advice and building surveys.

Information, advice and guidance

Participation in the CSP has both utilised and generated a huge amount of information, advice and guidance beyond what is required for community spaces to participate in the project, primarily delivered by the Development Officers.

Interviewees from the community spaces referred to their Development Officers as “brilliant”, “thorough”, “helpful”, “reassuring” and “really hands-on”. Regular communication with their Development Officers for support and guidance was said to be invaluable and that they “couldn’t be without them”.

Capital funding readiness

Through knowledge exchange between the Development Officers, the range of community spaces’ readiness for capital funding has become clearer. Participants from community spaces often discussed the benefits of the Development Officers’ assistance to organise and align their governance procedures and policies. Trustees felt that their new policy systems had contributed to greater confidence that their spaces were being managed efficiently and safely. They also reported feeling more resilient to changes in personnel, as all the trustees know where to find the policies and these clearly set out what needs to be done, saving volunteer time in getting ‘up to speed’.

How the CSP benefitted rural communities

Community benefits

  • Participant halls reported that their builds projects have resulted in increased community use of the spaces, contributing to reductions in isolation and improved community cohesion.
  • The spaces were reported to be more attractive and accessible, leading to a rise in social activities and intergenerational events, making them enduring spaces available throughout their users' lives.
  • Input from local development officers and ACRE network members helped to connect halls to expertise, advice, and inspiration, which in turn shaped projects and resulted in a sense of community ownership over their spaces and assets, and pride in their communities.
  • Trustees and volunteers talked about feeling more confident and supported to improve the functionality of their spaces for long-term use.

Environmental benefits

  • The uptake and exchange of green skills and knowledge more resilient communities which are better equipped to withstand environmental changes and crises, like floods, storms, and extreme weather.
  • Participants reported increased awareness and knowledge of green energy solutions, and increased use of IT in place of paper processes, with many using the upgraded spaces to demonstrate eco-friendly technology to their communities.
  • Some community spaces now actively promote greener futures by engaging with and hosting environmental groups and sharing knowledge with local users, some of whom made changes in their own homes as a result.

Benefits for the local economy

  • Many community spaces used local tradespeople to carry out their builds, supporting the local economy. Improvements to halls have also attracted services and businesses to operate out of the halls, enabling communities to access vital services like broadband, hubs, banks, foodbanks, and social activities for health and wellbeing.
  • CSP has resulted in energy-efficient upgrades, such as solar panels, better insulation, more modern windows, sustainable heating solutions, eco-friendly kitchen installations and roof replacements, reducing operational costs and contributing to transitions towards Net Zero.
  • The projects have resulted in improved energy efficiency and use and hire of the spaces, making the halls more resilient to financial challenges, such as increased bills and unexpected costs.

Resilience

  • The capital builds have future-proofed the fabric of the buildings, including through major structural improvements and modernisations to improve accessibility.
  • The guidance for community spaces (including those who did not carry out capital build projects) has enhanced their resilience, enabling them to put policies in place, tackle legal and lease challenges, and better cope with future funding applications through funding readiness support.
  • With the support of the ACRE network members involved, trustees of community spaces have developed or formalised policies (e.g. health and safety, safeguarding), making their management more structured and resilient to changes in leadership or volunteers.
  • Trustees reported feeling more skilled, prepared and confident in managing both the everyday needs associated with the halls and potential emergencies in their communities.

Community benefits

The CSP also had a number of wider benefits to rural communities, including:

  • Adding value to the community by offering structurally and visually improved spaces that are better value for money, and more resilient to changing energy costs, due to more sustainable energy, efficient heating and better insulation.
  • Increased use of spaces for social gatherings, many of which are intergenerational.
  • Improved capacity to house services including youth groups, food banks, fibre hubs, Fare Share food redistribution initiatives, meal services, a library, a bank, and classes and activities.
  • Adapting to community needs by improving accessibility, providing services that are needed, and making spaces more inviting, warmer, more resilient and better prepared for crises such as storms and floods.
  • Upskilling the community through increased use of the spaces, for example, improving awareness of green energy, training people on safeguarding, health and safety and food hygiene, and developing IT skills.
  • Building a future for the community spaces by increasing community use of the halls and interest in them.
  • Making the community spaces safer and more compliant with policy requirements.
  • Giving back to nature through incidental improvements like adding bird boxes during roof repairs.
  • Improving community resilience, such as providing communities with an emergency centre for their community in times of need.
Fishburn Thank Yous
Impact Map

Related pages

Loading...