It was early in 2009 that the Community Council of Staffordshire launched the Hallmark quality standards scheme for village halls. The scheme was originally developed by the Community Council for Somerset and then was taken up and promoted by ACRE, the national association of community councils.
The Hallmark scheme now operates in twenty seven counties. It promotes the delivery
of effective and well-
There are three parts to the scheme:
Hallmark 1 assesses whether the hall is complying with the requirements of its charitable status,
Hallmark 2 assesses compliance with legislative issues,
Hallmark 3 examines the role of the hall in the community and how it interacts with its users and the wider community.
The two main benefits of the scheme are that it:
- provides funders and other organisations with a benchmark for a well managed hall,
- gives village hall volunteers confidence that they are running the hall in the correct way.
For further information on the Hallmark standards or to enrol your hall, please contact Cathy Russell on 01785 242525.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The Community Council would like to recruit two volunteer visitors for the Hallmark scheme to cover the north of the county. Anyone who is interested should contact Cathy Russell on 01785 242525.
Please note that volunteer visitors need to have appropriate experience; they should either be a current or former member of village hall committee or have other relevant experience. Training will be provided and expenses paid.
