Well-used and well-managed community halls are vital local assets. The range of activities that these halls support is astonishingly varied, bringing in important sources of local revenue and contributing to community resilience and the maintenance of a vibrant sense of place. Community First Oxfordshire employs a Community Halls Adviser, who provides advice and support to almost 300 community hall and community centre committees across Oxfordshire.
CFO offers advice on a huge range of topics, including governance, general operations, refurbishment, insurance and energy efficiency. In addition, our grant funding advice continues to be crucial to a hall committee’s ability to meet the needs of their users. We also have a FREE Community Halls Directory, which enables clients to easily locate and hire community buildings. This highly visible marketing initiative continues to generate much-needed new income for halls.
We run a Community Hall Affiliation Scheme. Community halls are asked to affiliate to CFO by paying a £50 annual fee. By becoming an affiliate, each hall makes a small contribution to supporting the halls service, along with the funding we receive from Defra and South Oxfordshire, Vale and Cherwell District Councils.
COMMUNITY HALLS SUPPORT SERVICE