£700,000 loan fund for rural community buildings

The Rural Community Buildings Loan Fund plays a crucial role in helping community groups renovate and refurbish buildings such as village halls, church halls and community centres. It encourages communities to raise funds, knowing a loan could be available to help them meet their target and win funding from other sources.

The fund is managed by ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), the national voice for England’s network of 38 rural community councils, on behalf of Defra. The Community Council for Berkshire, a member of the ACRE Network, provides a dedicated advice service for the volunteers who run village halls and similar community buildings.

Wendy Dacey, Community Buildings Advisor at CCB, can use her in-depth knowledge of supporting community buildings to help guide and support applicants. 

The average loan taken out by village hall committees is around £15,000, but larger loans are considered. Around 40 loans are live at any one time and ACRE makes around 10 to 14 new loans every year. The interest charged on the loan is returned to the Government, but capital is put back into the fund to support other community buildings.

For details of the loan fund and for help to apply, contact Wendy on 0118 961 2000 or by email at wendy.dacey@ccberks.org.uk