Hallmark Awards

The aim of the awards is to recognise the good work undertaken by volunteer village hall management committees throughout Devon, and to encourage improvement across all their work and activities.

Village hall committees will receive a Hallmark Award in recognition of their achievement in managing their hall to a nationally recognised standard.

The aims of the Hallmark Awards are to:

• Encourage, establish and reward good practice
• Encourage improvement in established customs and procedures
• To obtain recognition from other bodies of the standard of management of community facilities

An award will complement the work the village hall is already doing, see Hallmark flier [Link].  There are three Hallmarks Award to achieve:

• The first Hallmark Award focuses on the management and administration of the charity

• The second Hallmark Award focuses on health, safety, security and licenses

• The third Hallmark Award focuses on communication with the community and users,  alongside general social awareness, forward planning and development

The scheme is open to all village halls in Devon.  A free information pack, checklists and supporting information are available when your hall decides to undertake the process.  Entry can be at anytime of the year and please contact Cara Stobart for further information cara@devonrcc.org.uk.

Launch Events

There have been five launch events taking place around the county in February and March 2007. The Hallmark Award has been well recieved by Devon communities with an initial 60 community buildings signing up to undertake the first Hallmark Award. 

Village hall management committee members display their Hallmark packs at the Filleigh Hallmark launch event in North Devon, March 2007. 

Noreen Weatherley from Kingsnympton Parish Hall said “We have done a lot of work acquiring funding and replacing the hall to bring it up to current legislative standards (disability access, fire regulations and health and safety).  We have taken up the Hallmark award to demonstrate what we have achieved so far and to acknowledge the hard work undertaken by members of our community.  This is an ongoing process and we will continue to develop our facilities further.”

Peer Visitors

Instead of external evaluators the Hallmark award will use “Peer Visitors” from other Devon village hall management committees to assess award applications against set criteria.  They will visit hall committees entering the Hallmark Scheme.  The hall committee will need to show evidence to the peer visitors that they are fulfilling the requirements of the Hallmark Award.  20 peer visitors have now been recruited and trained.

Communtiy Buildings who have achieved Hallmark status

Congratulations to the following committees on achieving their different stages of Hallmark.

• East Budleigh Hall                      Level one and two
• Newton St Cyres Hall                  Level one
• South Brent  Hall                        Level one and two
• Buckland Monochorum Hall         Level one
• Kelly Village Hall                        Level one
• Rattery Hall                                Level one and two
• West Hill Hall                             Level one
• Yarnscombe Victory Hall             Level one and two
• Exminster Victory Hall                Level one
• Croyde Village Hall                     Level one
• Filleigh Village Hall                     Level one and two
• Stokenteighead Village Hall         Level one and two
• Branscombe Village Hall             Level one

The certificates will be presented to the halls at the Annual Conference for Community Building in 2008.