HRH the Countess of Wessex, President of the 2017 Devon County Show, will be present at the launch of a major campaign by Devon Communities Together to support the county’s village halls and community buildings on the first day of Devon County Show, Thursday, May 17.

The Love Devon’s Village Halls Campaign has the ambitious target of building a £1 million fund. The fund will make loans to halls, and is aiming to open to applications as soon as it reaches the first target figure of £100,000.

Devon Communities Together has more than 50 years’ experience of working with village halls and community buildings.

The charity knows how much they matter to communities, and how hard their volunteers work to keep them in good order and welcoming for people of all ages.

It says that 70 per cent of halls offer sessions targeted at older people, 40 per cent host pre-school children and that 42 per cent cater for children aged from five to 12 years-of-age.

It says many offer a great variety of other much valued services.

It says they host community shops and post offices, community libraries, social and civic activities of all kinds and increasingly care related groups, adding that having a good hall helps local people to come together and gives heart of their communities.

A spokesperson said: “Funds aimed at supporting halls have become harder to find. For instance the Big Lottery Community Buildings programme closed to new applications earlier in 2017.”

Devon Communities Together’s President John Lee OBE, from Crediton, is very keen to see these vital assets well supported and has worked with trustees and staff of DCT to bring this project together.

He is particularly pleased that David Fursdon, Devon Lord Lieutenant, has agreed to be Patron of this campaign and will be speaking to invited guests at the launch on May 18.

Teresa Butchers, Chair of the Trustees at Devon Communities Together, said: “We are delighted to launch our Village Halls Campaign and we are honoured to be able to do this in front of the Countess of Wessex. We hope that people who live in the county, and our many visitors will support this campaign to maintain a thriving network of valuable village halls”.

Alan Quick