Action in rural Sussex Autumn & Winter Training Programme for Community Buildings 2026-2027

Running a village hall means picking up a lot of knowledge on the go, and it’s not always easy to know where to find the information you need. Our training and networking programme is designed to help you get ahead of the game, with sessions covering all the practical and legal requirements for running a successful community building. We’ll guide you through what you need to know, and you’ll also have an opportunity to share experiences with other halls.  

As well as receiving a discounted price for our courses, subscribers to our Community Buildings Service also have access to our free networking sessions. Details of these are shared via our online forum and subscriber portal. For more information about our Community Buildings Service, click here.

If there’s some training you’d like and it’s not listed below, email us at villagehalls@ruralsussex.org.uk and we’ll see if we can organise session.  

Upcoming Sessions

Annual Village Hall Conference
Saturday 10th October, 9:45–15:30, in person (Crowborough Community Centre). Book your space here

Our popular annual conference brings hall volunteers, trustees and managers together for a full programme of training and networking sessions. It’s a great opportunity to swap notes with other people running halls and share knowledge and experience. Sessions include how to make sure your hall is secure and compliant with Martyn’s Law, successful fundraising, and managing a hall refurb or hall extension. There will also be a range of suppliers of services relevant to community buildings. 

Prices: Subscribers and All Wealden Halls: £10 pp. Non Subscribers: £30 pp (Lunch and refreshments included)

PAT Testing Training
Tuesday 10th November, 10:00–13:00, in person (Ringmer Village Hall) £90 for subscribers and Wealden Halls, £125 for non subscriber halls. – Book your space here

PAT testing is an important of ensuring electrical safety in your hall but can be expensive if you pay for an external provider to do it. This hands on session, run by Robert Horn, will cover when and what needs to be PAT tested, how often, what needs to be recorded, and how to do the testing yourself. Those who have completed the course are able to hire a PAT tester from Action in rural Sussex at a discounted rate for their own hall testing.

Subscribers and halls in Wealden District: £90 

Non-subscribers: £125

Risk Assessment
Tuesday 10th November, 14:00–16:00, in person (Ringmer Village Hall) – Book your space here

This practical session, a companion to our online health and safety training, will take you through the steps involved in carrying out a general risk assessment of your hall, and recording the results. It will also cover how often your risk assessment should be reviewed routinely, and what might trigger an earlier review.  Risk assessments are a legal requirement and this course will ensure that you are meeting your responsibilities in this area. Led by Robert Horn.  

Subscribers and halls in Wealden District:  £25.00

Non-subscribers: £34.95

CIO Transfer
Wednesday 26th November, 10:00–12:00, online – Book your space here
If your hall is considering becoming  a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), this is the session for you. We will take you through reasons why you might want to consider setting up or transferring to the CIO structure, how it differs from other common structures of village hall charities, what is involved in the process, and costs and timescales.  

Subscribers and halls in Wealden District:  £18.50

Non-subscribers: £29.95

Trustee Roles and Responsibilities
Tuesday 12th January, 18:00–20:00, online – Book your space here
Robert Horn returns for this session covering the roles and responsibilities of trustees. It looks at different types of trustees and how their roles differ, the specific duties of managing trustees  and the policies & procedures you need to put in place to help you meet your responsibilities. It also looks at how to find trustees with the right skills and experience, and covers common pitfalls and problems that can arise.  Essential for all new trustees and for those committees wanting to ensure they are covering all the bases.  

Subscribers and halls in Wealden District:  £18.50

Non-subscribers: £29.95

Upcoming Sessions (Dates to be confirmed)

Making Your Hall Accessible (Equality Act)
December, date to be confirmed
This networking session looks at what the Equality Act actually requires of village halls, and practical steps for making your building more accessible without needing a six-figure renovation budget. Free for subscribers and Wealden non-subscribers. Date and trainer still to be confirmed, so keep an eye out for the update.

Safeguarding
End of January 2027, Dates TBC, Online
All charities need to understand their safeguarding responsibilities and have appropriate policies and practices in place. This session will cover legal responsibilities, how to meet these responsibilities in practice, and look at a range of scenarios where safeguarding issues might arise in community buildings.  

Trustee Liability and Health and Safety

Date: End of February, date TBC, online. 

Health and safety is a big topic and committees are often not sure where to start.  Robert Horn leads this online session, setting out clearly what areas of health and safety apply to village halls and community buildings, and what you need to do,  covering the essentials in a way that’s practical rather than overwhelming. Priced at £18.50 for subscribers and £29.95 for non-subscribers. 

Governing Documents Made Easy: understanding your governing document and how to make changes to it 

Date: April 2027, TBC, online

Trustees of village halls need to understand their governing document and follow what it says. However, governing documents sometimes get lost and older documents are not always easy to follow. This session looks at the main points of a charity’s governing document, which parts of your governing document can be changed and which cannot without the permission of the Charity Commission. It looks at how to get a copy of your governing document if it’s lost, the correct way to make changes, and how to inform the Charity Commission of these changes. Essential knowledge for all trustees.   

Conducting a DIY Energy Audit of your Community Building 

May 2027, TBC, in person

Our Do-It-Yourself energy audit will help you understand energy usage in your hall, point to areas where you can reduce your energy use, and highlight renewables options. Even if you go on to have a professional energy audit, investing time in doing your own energy audit will help you understand your hall better, pinpoint low-cost options for energy reduction, and show where more information might be needed.    

The small print …. 

Fees include a two-hour training session led by an experienced trainer, slides and recording from the session, and a list of relevant resources.  

We are unable to give refunds if you cannot attend a session. However, you are welcome to attend the next training session we run on that topic.  

 

We would like to thank Wealden District Council for their financial support for our training programme.