Selston parish to host open day as part of Village Halls Week 2023

The council looks after five community buildings and on Saturday, January 28, they will be hosting an open day at the parish hall in Selston from 11am to 5pm to promote them.

There will be demonstrations including children's baking, dance and fitness, Tae Kwon Do and chair yoga among other activities.

The free event is part of Village Halls Week 2023, which will see halls across Nottinghamshire showcasing what they are doing for their community, and the opportunities they provide to people locally that would not otherwise exist.

Village Halls Week 2023 celebrates the many ways these volunteer-run rural community buildings support local residents, groups and businesses, particularly during difficult times.

As the country endures a cost-of-living crisis, rural communities have come to rely on the humble village hall as a place to keep warm, access basic services and socialise without the expense of travelling elsewhere.

Aside from hosting a wide range of social and recreational activities for residents, they also host vital services such as post offices, doctors’ surgeries and convenience shops, while supporting an estimated 50,000 people whose livelihoods depend on use of these buildings.

Jenny Kirkwood, director at RCAN, said: “We recognise the contribution that village halls across Nottinghamshire make in their communities.

“They have been especially essential in the past few years, offering a warm and welcoming space, helping combat loneliness, offering activities to help support residents’ health and wellbeing, while also acting as a hub for rural services, with some operating as vaccination centres during the pandemic.

“We are looking forward to celebrating the great work that the management committees of these wonderful buildings do, as part of Village Halls Week.”