Cumbria

Little Clifton Village Hall

Giving back to the community and to nature

Fiona Heslam became the chair of trustees at Little Clifton Village Hall after becoming involved in climate activity with the local Parish Council. When a new coal mine was proposed for the local area, taking a greener approach to upgrading the village hall felt vital. Drawing on her knowledge and past experiences around green energy, and funded by the Community Spaces Partnership, Fiona put some of her ideas forward to the trustees, who set about: 

  • Having solar panels and batteries installed
  • Procuring sheep wool insulation for the roof
  • Laying the groundwork for replacing the gas boiler with a heat pump with heating and air conditioning capability
  • Researching the options for creating a community energy hub for the local area
Little Clifton Insulation

Fiona Heslam, Chair of Little Clifton Village Hall, explains more: 

Giving back to the community

The Community Spaces Partnership brings resources, skills and investment into rural communities. For Little Clifton, this has included:

  • Providing a warmer, greener space to host community events and Parish Council meetings
  • The potential to offer volunteering opportunities and training on IT Skills and Food Hygiene
  • Raising awareness of green energy and opportunities for community energy

Building a future

Improvements to the space through the Community Spaces Partnership funding have helped to build a more resilient future for the village hall and the broader area:

  • Providing a space where community needs can be met, through food provision and warm hubs
  • Leading the way for the area to be greener by conducting research on thermal imaging and mine water heat

Future plans

​The trustees at Little Clifton Village Hall plan to look into offering more resources and services to the community, such as a bank of computers, IT training and possibly a food vending machine stocked and cleaned by local businesses.

The trustees are planning to take advice from an independent energy advisor with regards to upgrading the heating system in the hall, as the gas boiler is broken. This presents an ideal opportunity to explore an alternative heating system.

Fiona said:

“With things like a large grant, [it’s about] that recognition that your community is worth spending money on […] There are knock-on benefits of not looking at it as ‘that’s what we’ve done now’ but ‘what can we do next’.”

How ACTion with Communities in Cumbria helped

ACTion with Communities in Cumbria (ACT) helped to prepare the hall for funding by advising on forms, policies, governance and compliance. ACT connected the trustees of Little Clifton Village Hall with legal advice and helped to develop their confidence to manage this and future projects.

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