Action with Communities in Rural England - ACRE

09/06/2026

🏡 We're looking forward to joining the Rural Housing Conference at Ripon Cathedral this Friday, alongside our friends from Community First Yorkshire.

Bringing together people from across housing, planning and community organisations, the event is all about finding practical solutions to the shortage of affordable homes in rural areas.

🎤 Max Banfield, our Rural Housing Enabler Programme Manager, will be taking part in a panel discussion and sharing how we work with local communities and partners to help deliver more affordable homes that meet local needs.

Events like this are a great opportunity to share ideas, learn from each other and help create thriving rural communities. 🌱

👋 If you're attending, come and say hello! We'd love to chat about our work and how we're helping real people living in real rural communities.

29/05/2026

🌟 It’s almost Volunteers' Week, and we’re shining a light on the unsung heroes who help England’s village halls thrive!

🪚 From fixing roofs to organising events, volunteers do it all. Most don’t like to make a fuss, but we think it’s only right to celebrate the huge contribution they make to rural communities across the country.

👇 Does your village hall have a superstar working behind the scenes? Drop their name in the comments and tell us what makes them special 👏

🔗 Find out more about how volunteers keep village halls running at www.acre.org.uk

14/05/2026

🎬 And that's a wrap on our 2026 Village Hall Advisers Event!

🙌 Enormous thanks go out to all the advisers who travelled from far and wide (...we think the guys from Devon clocked the most miles this year!) to join us for a fantastic few days in Staffordshire.

We heard stories of success and challenge, but what really resonated during our time together was your ongoing drive and determination to ensure village halls remain the beating heart of England's rural communities. 💚

🫡 So, whether it's supporting volunteers with their complicated building insurance, or helping teams digitise their booking systems, your work makes a real difference to the lives of real people - and for that we say thank you!

12/05/2026

📅 It's that time of year again, as village hall advisers from across the country begin making their way to our annual networking and training conference.

🌟 Village halls may run on goodwill, but advisers play a vital role in supporting volunteers to make the most of these important community spaces.

🤝 Bringing the advisers together is our chance to help them help their communities, and we can't wait to catch-up over the next two days.

Thanks also to our generous sponsors for helping make the event possible 👇

📍 Norris & Fisher - Insurance Brokers Ltd
📍 Sound Reduction Systems Ltd
📍 HeatingSave
📍 TJB Community
📍
📍 Hallmaster
📍 ARC Thermal Solutions
📍 easyfundraising.org.uk

30/04/2026

❗️Martyn’s Law is coming in 2027 and venues that can hold more than 200 people, such as village halls, need to know about it.

As the regulator of this new legislation, the Security Industry Authority wants to hear what venue owners and committees think about the new draft guidance, which sets out its powers, roles and responsibilities.

🌳 It's vital that rural voices are included in this important consultation, so take part today and help make a difference.

🔗 Full details of how to get involved at www.acre.org.uk

27/04/2026

👇Like and share this post from Kent ACRE, and you'll be helping to secure a much-needed village halls service in one of the most diverse counties in England.

Kent has more than 400 village halls, but the dedicated army of volunteers who work so hard to keep the doors open and the lights switched on need extra support to help take their buildings from simple venues-for-hire to vibrant community hubs.

📣 So even if you're unable to contribute to the team's ambitious, yet vital, fundraising campaign, just spreading the message far and wide will help to make a world of difference.

🔗 Find out more at www.kentacre.org.uk

🙏 We need YOUR help to reach more people!

Rural communities deserve access to the same vital services as everyone else and with your support, we can make that happen.

We're asking local shops, village halls, offices, community centres and noticeboards to display our crowdfunder poster. It takes 2 minutes and could make a real difference to someone's life. 💙

Kent ACRE's crowdfunder will fund a sustainable Village Hall Advisory Service, bringing mental health support, domestic abuse services, and more into the heart of rural communities.

📌 Can you put up a poster? Click on the image below, right click and save the photo.
💻 Want to donate instead? Visit: https://www.spacehive.com/kent-acre--supporting-rural-communities-to-thrive

Please share this post too, the more people who see it, the bigger the impact. ❤️

24/04/2026

👇 There's still time to share your views on just how important touring theatre shows are to your village hall and wider community.

⏱️ But be quick, the National Rural Touring Forum - NRTF's survey closes at 5pm on Friday 8 May!

🔗 More details and information at www.acre.org.uk

📢 Calling all village hall volunteers! 📢

You know just how powerful rural touring is for your local community - now's your chance to share those experiences with the National Rural Touring Forum - NRTF.

They've set up a short online survey to capture how touring shows - from comedy🤣 and dance💃 to circus acts🤡 and pantomimes 🎭 - support rural communities to thrive. It's something we're only too happy to support!

Take part and you'll be helping regional and national policymakers understand just how powerful rural touring can be 💪

It only takes a few minutes ⏱

www.nrtf.org.uk/projects/promoter-research 🔗

17/04/2026

🥳 We are delighted to share the news that our Chair, James Blake, has been appointed Chief Executive of Yorkshire Dales National Park!

James is currently Chief Executive Officer at YHA England and Wales, where he has led the organisation through a period of significant change, and will take on his new role in September.

He will remain Chair of our Board of Trustees throughout the transition, and when he takes on his new position.

🌟 Corinne Pluchino, ACRE Chief Executive, said: "On behalf of the whole ACRE team, our warmest congratulations to James at this very exciting time. We wish him every success in his new role."

16/04/2026

❗The Rural Flood Resilience Partnership was formed to help communities in the firing line better prepare for severe weather.

💻 Its new website is now live and is the go-to place for all the tools and resources needed to make planning for heavy rain that bit easier.

⛅ We're proud to be a founding member of the partnership and remain committed to doing all we can to support the families and businesses most at risk from flooding.

👇 Click the link below to find out more

🔗 www.ruralfloodresilience.org.uk

13/04/2026

The heating oil crisis hasn’t gone away, and rural families are still being left out in the cold. 🌡

Our ACRE Network members continue to hear from the communities they support, and some have spoken of seeing their heating bills more than double since the start of the war in the Middle East. 📈

This paints a deeply concerning picture for thousands of rural families.

Because of this, we're proud to have shared these stories with the Competition and Markets Authority, as part of its recent study into the impact of rising heating oil prices. 📋

We hope these accounts of real-life rural hardship lead to meaningful government action and greater support for the families struggling to keep warm. 🏠