21st Century Community Halls Project Update

As we enter the third year of the 21st Century Community Halls Project, we are pleased to share the progress we’ve made. It’s been a busy and productive period, and we are excited about the work ahead.

Consultations and Reports
We’ve completed consultations and reports with several halls, including Hampstead Norreys, Leckhampstead, Holyport, and Hampstead Marshall, bringing the total number of consultations to 55. If your hall would benefit from a consultation or follow-up meeting, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with David.Jennings@ccberks.org.uk

New Partnership with NICRE
We’ve partnered with the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) to enhance the project. We’re currently in the setup phase, working on an impact measurement framework, establishing ways of working, and planning for wider stakeholder engagement.

Training and Support for Halls
We continue to offer training sessions tailored to support halls in developing and executing action plans. After attending training in 2024, many halls are now working on their business plans to ensure long-term sustainability, apply for grants, and maintain a vibrant future.

What to Expect from a Consultation
Each consultation involves a detailed visit to your hall, during which we review over 120 questions across seven key areas:

  • The Building and the Organisation
  • Sustainability
  • Environment
  • The Fabric of the Building
  • Energy
  • Accessibility

Following the review, we provide a comprehensive report and a pack of supporting materials for your hall’s management team. After considering the findings, we ask trustees to draw up an action plan focused on the key areas to address. The CCB team is here to assist with advice and guidance to help turn these plans into successful projects.

If your hall hasn’t yet had a consultation, please reach out to schedule one. Thanks to the generous support of The National Lottery Community Fund, this service is FREE.

We look forward to supporting your hall’s journey towards a brighter future!


Village and Community Halls: Your Essential Guide to Building Surveys

Volunteers managing over 10,000 rural community halls across England are now receiving expert guidance to help them commission the right type of building survey.

This valuable resource was developed by ACTion with Communities in Cumbria, who, through their work with rural halls across the region, discovered a gap in knowledge among funders, surveyors, and village hall committees. There was often confusion around the specifics of what’s required when commissioning and carrying out surveys on village halls and similar community spaces.

The guide has been expertly crafted by Ben Stagg, Director of Stagg Architects, who also authored ACRE’s Net Zero Design Guide in 2024.

The comprehensive guidance takes hall committees step-by-step through the process of obtaining a building survey, explaining the various types of surveys available, and offering advice on how to engage with a surveyor. A dedicated section for surveyors provides useful insights that committees can share when commissioning their own surveys. There’s also an in-depth chapter focusing on energy surveys, ensuring your hall can be both sustainable and efficient.

Why Surveys Matter

Surveys play a crucial role in maintaining the condition of your hall and ensuring that any alterations or improvements are both appropriate and beneficial. They not only provide an accurate description of the current state of the building but also help identify areas for improvement and assess potential recommendations for future work.

Julie Minns, Member of Parliament for Carlisle and North Cumbria, commented:

“This guide is absolutely invaluable. Community buildings are essential hubs for local people across the country, and particularly so in rural areas where isolation—both social and geographical—can be a significant challenge. The diverse range of activities taking place in community centres across North Cumbria demonstrates just how crucial resources like this guide from ACRE are.”

Support from the National Lottery Community Fund

The guide has been made possible thanks to the support of the National Lottery Community Fund, through their Northumberland, Durham and Cumbria Community Places initiative. The Fund has long been committed to supporting projects that enhance local community spaces.

The National Lottery Community Fund provides grants to hundreds of village halls each year. Duncan Nicholson, Regional Head of Funding for the North East and Cumbria, said:

“Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, we’re able to support the vital and innovative work carried out by projects like this. Communities across Northumberland, Durham, and Cumbria will continue to benefit from well-maintained, accessible community venues that are not only fit for purpose today, but are also safeguarded for future generations.”

Download the Guide

To access the full guide, click here.


Who’s your local hero?

For the fourth year, BBC Radio Berkshire wants to celebrate and say thank you to people living in our villages and towns who make where we live a better place.

Every day we hear stories of people doing incredible things for each other and their communities. Now it’s time to recognise them for all their hard work.

Whether it’s caring for someone in need, being a brilliant neighbour, or inspiring children in the classroom, if you know someone who is really making a difference to your life or where you live, then you can nominate them for an Award.

There are 8 categories:

  1. The Volunteer Award – awarded to an individual who makes a notable difference to their community by giving their time voluntarily to help others.
  2. The Young Hero Award new – awarded to someone under 16 who has made a positive impact in their community or achieved something exceptional.
  3. The Great Neighbour Award – awarded to an individual who helps to make the neighbourhood a better place to live or work in, either on a regular basis or through a single act of kindness.
  4. The Active Award new – awarded to an individual or group of people who have used physical activity or sport as a way of improving the lives of those in their community.
  5. The Animal Award – awarded to either a remarkable animal that improves people’s lives, or an individual or group of people who improve the welfare of animals.
  6. The Green Award – awarded to an individual or group of people who improve or conserve their local environment.
  7. The Fundraiser Award – awarded to an individual or group of people who have gone the extra mile to raise funds for a good cause.
  8. The Community Group Award – awarded to a group of people who have helped to change the lives of others within their community.

Nominations are now open and will close on 31st March 2025 at 5:00pm.

The winners will be announced at our Make a Difference awards ceremony in September.

You can nominate someone you know here http://www.bbc.co.uk/makeadifference, where you can also see full Terms and our Privacy Notice.


Funding Opportunities in March

Screwfix Foundation

We are passionate about making a difference to those in need. We are a grant-making charity with a clear charitable purpose to support projects that improve, fix and repair buildings, homes and facilities specifically used by PEOPLE IN NEED throughout the UK. We donate grants in the region of £5,000 to charities and not for profit organisations. Prioritising those that will create a longer-term difference and where our donation will make an impact and fund the total cost (or the majority) of a project. The Screwfix Foundation is governed by the Board of Trustees and managed by The Screwfix Foundation Manager.

To be considered for a grant, your organisation AND project must meet the criteria noted below: Organisation criteria Project eligibility Your organisation must be a charity or not for profit company based in the UK and:

• Registered as a charity in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland; or • Registered as a Not for Profit company at Companies House or the registered on the FCA mutuals register. We fund projects which improve a physical building (or land attached to it) that is used by people in need. The types of projects we fund are: • Improved energy efficient lighting & heating • Installation of new kitchen, bathroom etc. • Installation of a sensory room • General painting & decorating • Improving safety and security of a building We are unable to donate products or vouchers from Screwfix and unable to fund: • Items that are easily removable from a property such as soft furnishings, curtains, tables, chairs etc. • White goods or electronic items • Grants for research • Purchase of vehicles • Purchase of garden machinery or removeable furniture such as lawnmowers, chairs or plants. • Repayment of loans • Annual Rent or service charges • Sponsorships • Salaries We do not support projects which will used by general members of the public i.e., sports clubs and associations, uniformed groups such as scout and girl guide groups or organisations that support wildlife or animals as their main beneficiary

Deadline: Rolling

Bracknell Forest: Dementia Friendly Homes

Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Bracknell Forest Council has grants available, up to £2,000, for people with dementia to help make their homes more dementia friendly. Works could include changing lights to improve brightness and visibility, redecorating walls to make rooms feel calmer, replacing floor coverings that cause confusion or safety issues, ensuring safe access to the property, and/or provision of a safe space. This list is not exhaustive and each case will be considered with help and advice from our occupational therapy service.

Heathrow Community Trust – Environment and Sustainability

About Us: Are you working to reduce energy consumption, tackle climate change, boost recycling or create a nature reserve? Do you have ideas to make your community more sustainable? Are you encouraging wildlife back into your neighbourhood? If so, you could qualify for a grant from our Environment and Sustainability Grants programme.
Criteria: Available for groups including charities, voluntary groups, schools, colleges, local authorities and Community Interest Companies working in Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Slough, Spelthorne, Richmond, Runnymede, South Bucks, or Windsor & Maidenhead.
Grant Size: up to £15,000 per year for up to two years
Deadline for applications: 3rd April 2025

Asda Foundation Young Futures Fund

About Us: Supporting grassroots groups to improve mental health and wellbeing for teens and young people (13-21 years) to help build better futures.
Criteria: Not-for-profit groups and organisations with an income of less than £250,000 and who already have an existing service for young people within the 13-21 age group can apply.
Applicants need to meet at least one of the following objectives:

Provide services that support, educate and empower.
Connect young people to their peers.
Support rehabilitation and recovery and provide shelter.
Deliver activities / programmes that improve physical health and wellbeing.
The funding can be used for a number of different things. Examples of the kinds of items and services that could be funded include, but are not limited to:

Intervention and prevention programmes to address social issues.
Essential items for crisis support, such as clothes, food and hygiene items for a homeless shelter focusing on young people.
Delivery of specialist support or services or speakers.
Group drop-in and talking sessions.
Workshops to upskill and deliver life skills (cooking, finance, employment, CV writing).
Resources for recreational activities, eg, craft materials, board games
Sports kit and/or equipment (cap £500).
Volunteering costs (cap £100 per person).
Peer support events, and activities that bring people together.
The grant must be used and projects completed by September 2025.

Grant Size: up to £1,000
Deadline for applications: The application window opens on 27th February 2025 (noon) and closes on 13th March 2025 (noon)

The Arts Society

About Us: We believe in Arts for All and will use our grants to make a positive contribution to people’s lives through the arts. Never has there been a greater need to support our local arts organisations and museums and continue the vital contribution of skills development in the arts and heritage sector.
Criteria: Available for UK-registered charities with an annual turnover of less than £3 million to deliver projects across all aspects of the arts, crafts, and heritage and support local and regional art museums and organisations.
Funding is available for projects such as:

Projects that support a wide range of activities to introduce people of all ages and backgrounds to artistic experiences and practice, such as the development and training of skills in the arts, crafts, and heritage through bursaries, sponsorships, and crafts apprenticeships.
Support for regional museums, galleries, and arts organisations, such as:
Special projects.
Displays.
Internships and part-time posts.
Training.
Conservation activities.
Regional and local theatres and performing arts spaces and groups.

Grant Size: up to £2,000
Deadline for applications: 31st March 2025

Small Charity Week match funding campaign

About Us: Seven-day online campaign, running between 23rd-30th June 2025. Donations made during the campaign will be doubled through Big Give’s match funding model, thanks to the generosity of Champion funders, including the players of People’s Postcode Lottery. This means each pound donated goes twice as far in empowering small charities in their mission.
Criteria: Charities with an annual income between £5,000 and £1 million are eligible to apply for match funding, helping them to raise vital funds and maximise their impact.
Grant Size: Charities seeking to raise either £500, £1,000, £2500, £5,000, or £10,000 in public donations (to be doubled by the match funds).
Deadline for applications: 2nd April 2025

Turners Court Youth Trust

Applications are considered from registered charities and small community groups whose work is based around the Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire region and is focused on the needs of vulnerable and disaffected children and young people up to the age of 23.

It should be noted that the Trust can only make grants available for projects or groups that exist for charitable purposes.

  • Projects will be assessed as to the positive difference they will make to children and young people with regard to one or more of the following:
  • Early life experiences, particularly for those whose personal circumstances are challenging and difficult.
  • Emotional, social and physical safety and/or well-being.
  • Personal safety and protection from harm and neglect.
  • Involvement in activities that help them overcome barriers to education and employment and to achieve their full potential in life.
  • Development of independent life and work skills.
  • Prevention from entering the judicial system.

Ordinarily one-off grants of between £250 and £5,000 are awarded for appropriate projects which can demonstrate that they will make a difference to children and young people. However, depending on the circumstances and subject to approval of Trustees larger grants may be considered.

Your application will be considered by the Trustees, and you will be contacted soon after their decision, which is final.

Please then send your application to Turners Court Youth Trust either by: Email to grants@turnerscourt.org.uk Or post to the registered address: 30 High Street, Wendover, Buckinghamshire HP22 6EA and mark the envelope ‘TCYT Grant Application’. Your application will be considered by the Trustees, and you will be contacted soon after their decision, which is final.

Hall and Woodhouse Community Chest

Applications are welcome from any voluntary or community organisation that is based, or works in, our trading area across the south of England, from Devon to Sussex and in the north from Bristol to Twickenham. NB: Awards will only be considered for organisations with a total income of more than £200,000 in very special circumstances.

Grants or funds raised could be used to support the following:

Youth work and activities
Sports and social clubs
Elderly and people with disabilities
Health and social care
Local arts and culture
Conservation and the environment
Please note: Applications will not be considered from national organisations or those that are profit making or political.

Groups can apply for grants or fundraising support ranging from £300 and £3,000 to help achieve their aims. These grants or fundraising commitments could be used towards things such as equipment and furniture, training, transport, professional assistance, specific project resources or operational costs that will help your cause.

The Four Barrows Foundation

We give grants to Primary Schools and Charities who provide opportunities for pre-school and primary age children. We believe these organisations are most likely to understand the areas, children and groups who are likely to benefit from extra support. We are not able to support any other organisation.

We support organisations in specific areas – because they are local to our trustees: Lothian and Fife Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey.

We aim to provide annual grants between £1,000 and £3,000. We understand these efforts often require a long-term commitment, so funding may be provided for more than one year.

Newly Opened: Warburtons Community Grants

Warburtons Community Grants provides small grants up to £400 to support charitable organisations towards broader activities which improve Health, Place or Skills for families in their community.

Based on our localism approach, our community investment funds are allocated to our local bakeries and depots. This helps our Community Champions to make the best decisions for our local communities. We will use your postcode to understand which of our sites is closest to you and they will then receive the application and make a decision.

Deadline: 5th May 2025

Project Groundwater Innovation Fund

Grants are available for charities, small-to-medium enterprises, voluntary and community groups, and other organisations across the Berkshire Downs (Lambourn Valley) to deliver projects that address groundwater flooding while benefitting local communities.

Application deadline: 17th March 2025 (9am)

Grow Wild Youth Grants

Grants are available for young individuals (aged 16 to 25 years) in the UK to deliver a creative project that celebrates why UK native plants and/or fungi are so special. Young people must have a supporting organisation to help them deliver the project. An webinar giving information about the scheme will be held on 26 February 2025 (12:00 to 12:45pm) – you can register via the link below.

Application deadline: 19th March 2025 (3pm)

Peter Harrison Foundation

Active Lives Funding:
The Trustees have decided to focus our limited resources by prioritising applications which meet all of the following criteria:

work with people living with disabilities in the top 10% of areas of deprivation (Indices of Multiple Deprivation decile 1) AND
from organisations with a track record of working with this population AND
have a robust plan for wider impact of the project through dissemination, training etc


To avoid wasting your time, please ensure you meet our revised eligibility and funding criteria before starting an application.

Type of funding: We will consider applications for capital, project or core funding.

Location of project: Anywhere in the United Kingdom. Grant amount: We accept applications for £5,001 – £30,000. Grant period: You can apply for a grant spread over 1, 2 or 3 years

Positive Futures Projects:

The Trustees have decided to focus our limited resources by prioritising applications which meet all of the following criteria:

work with children and young people living in the top 10% of areas of deprivation (Indices of Multiple Deprivation decile 1) AND
from organisations with a track record of working with this population AND
have a robust plan for wider impact of the project through dissemination, training etc
To avoid wasting your time, please ensure you meet our revised eligibility and funding criteria before starting an application.

Type of funding: We will consider applications for capital, project or core funding.

Location of project: South East of England (Berkshire; Buckinghamshire; Hampshire; Isle of Wight; Kent; Oxfordshire; Surrey; East Sussex; and West Sussex only).

Grant amount: We accept applications for £5,001 – £30,000. Grant period: You can apply for a grant spread over 1, 2 or 3 years

The Alpkit Foundation

About Us: It makes small awards that support grass roots, direct action projects where a positive difference can be made to remove the barriers in getting outdoors and experience the benefits of time spent outdoors.
Criteria: Community groups, schools and organisations based and working within the UK can apply for grants to support:
Diversity and inclusion projects that engage individual and groups from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Environmental projects that seek to support, conserve, or generate understanding of our environment and wild places.
Health projects enabling people to gain physical and mental wellbeing from the Great Outdoors.
Education projects such as First Aid, D of E, Forest Schools and Mountain Leader.
Participation projects that get more people experiencing the Great Outdoors.
Grant Size: Between £50 and £500
Deadline for applications: Applications can be submitted at any time and will be considered every two months.

Grants For Good

Applications close on Saturday 15th March.
These grants are designed to direct funding only to small and growing local charities, voluntary groups or social enterprises that are making a big impact on communities, people or the environment. To be eligible, applicants must be a local community group, charity, voluntary group or social enterprise that has a positive impact on communities, people or the environment, must have an average income of less than £50,000 in the last 12 months, and must have a bank account in the organisation’s name.
The top five shortlisted projects will receive between £2,000 and £5,000. Find out more.

Community Impact Fund

Applications close on Thurs 20th March.
Small grants of up to £1,000 are available for charities, CIOs, and CICs across the UK to deliver projects and activities that benefit local communities across the themes of environment, sustainability, creativity, and local issues.
By fostering innovation and collaboration, we aim to enhance the well-being of our community and promote sustainable development.
We invite community groups and charitable organisations to apply for funding to bring their impactful projects to life.

The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust

The objectives of the Trust are:

  • to promote horticulture;
  • to promote the conservation of the physical and natural environment by promoting biological diversity through the application of horticultural techniques
  • to promote the creation, development, preservation and maintenance of gardens (preference will normally, but not exclusively, be given to gardens accessible to the public); and
  • the advancement of horticultural education.

The Trust achieves its objectives by making grants to individuals, organisations and institutions carrying out projects of significance to:

  • horticulture;
  • gardening; or
  • botany with a strong horticultural element.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of typical projects.

  • restoring gardens of historic interest;
  • developing new gardens, or new garden areas within existing gardens, for public access and enjoyment;
  • exhibitions, book publications, research and educational programmes relating to horticulture;
  • expeditions and travel to study, collect and protect plants of scientific and horticultural value;
  • study-visits by horticulturists or botanists with strong horticultural links, and
  • gardeners’ training schemes run by appropriate organisations (but not to individuals, see Training and Traineeships).

The maximum grant is £5,000 but some organisations only require modest sums and applicants are welcome to apply for grants of less than £500. Typical grants are usually in the range of £3,500- £5,000.

Only one grant is usually made for each project but it is possible for subsequent grants to be made to the same individual or organisation for a new project or an additional component of the original project over two or three years. 

Deadline: Grants are normally awarded twice a year, in April and September (following application deadlines of 15 February and 15 August).

Rural Funding Digest March 2025

Thank you to Slough CVS, West Berkshire Volunteer Centre and Bracknell & Wokingham InVOLve.


21st Century Community Halls: End of Year 2 of this five year project

The 21st Century Community Halls project has made significant progress, conducting initial consultations with halls and increasingly focusing on follow-up reviews. With the recent addition of a new Project Development Officer, David, the project has gained momentum and has introduced initiatives to address common themes shared by many halls.

The Initial Consultation: We have completed 13 further 21st Century Community Hall initial reviews during this period. Each review is completed during a visit to the facility with additional information provided before and after. The review includes over 120 questions divided into 7 parts:

  • The Building and the Organisation
  • Sustainability
  • Environment
  • The Fabric of the Building
  • Energy
  • Accessibility
  • After the consultation a comprehensive report is prepared for the Hall’s management team
    with a pack of suitable supporting information. After considering the contents, comments, and actions, we ask Trustees to draw up an action plan for the key issues they want to address. CCB then assist with advice for the resulting actions and projects that these form into.

The Follow-Up Reviews: CCB seeks a follow-up with the management committee approximately every 6 months via a call, or a visit depending on the needs of the
committee and on the activity and challenges. To date we have completed 22 formal follow-up reviews of halls we have consulted with.

Learning Partner Selection: We have now selected a Learning Partner to help us evaluate the project, and will begin working with them in January 2025.


One-to-One Support: During this period, in-depth one-to-one support has been given to halls for their development actions:

  • Providing best practices and examples for Business Planning to 15 Trustees from 14 different Village Halls in Berkshire.
  • Writing, reviewing and successfully obtaining funding from The Platinum Jubilee Fund.
  • Developing Fundraising plans with three separate committees and delivering Fundraising training around ‘evidencing need’ to 8 trustees from 6 different Village
    Halls.
  • Designing, conducting and analysing Community Consultations with three separate committees.
  • Risk review and support with one new member.
  • Supporting a member hall in updating its governing document.
  • Supporting a Village Hall to review plans for a complete rebuild in favour of a major refurbishment (due to financial restrictions and community feedback)
  • Renegotiation of a lease for one Community Hall.

    If you would like your hall to participate in the 21st Century Village Halls project, please email me. kate.meads@ccberks.org.uk and we can arrange a time for a consultation.