Village halls the very definition of British community spirit - The Yorkshire Post says

In one example Scarborough councillor, Roberta Swiers, who is chairman of the district’s village hall committee, has told us how one location has been a sanctuary for a woman who was feeling suicidal. For others, they have been key in seeking the comfort of new connections after the death of loved ones.

They also host vital services such as post offices, doctors’ surgeries, police drop-ins and shops.

Above all, they are lesser celebrated spaces where people suffering from loneliness can find friendship.

Research by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), in fact, has found that in 60 per cent of countryside areas, such buildings are the only place for local people to socialise.

In October, Cayton Village Hallon the Yorkshire started to open on Thursdays to provide people with somewhere warm to go and socialise. Six people turned up to the first time, but now 50 to 60 people attend each week.

Not everyone, it seems, can or wants to go to the local pub. The sad irony is that as these places welcome greater numbers who need human connection and warmth as the cost-of-living crisis bites, the same issue imperils the buildings – they have to pay bills too.

However, there’s an opportunity to shout about them: Village Halls Week, a nationwide campaign starting on Monday to celebrate the 2023 theme of warm, welcoming and inclusive places.

With greater numbers turning out to form bonds, we hope that will cause people to rally around their own little landmarks – it might just help them to stay open and keep up their valuable work.