Village halls hailed as 'essential meeting places' for rural Shropshire communities

Essential, brilliant and a focal point – some of the words used this week to sum up the vital role village halls play in Shropshire's rural community.
But there are concerns for their future in the wake of the impact of Covid-19 and the lockdowns that came with it.

A recent report by Rural England highlighted the contributions that village halls make to rural communities but it also raised concerns about the impact of the pandemic.
In the survey carried out by Rural England between April and June last year, 22 per cent of participants considered community centres or village halls to be vital or necessary to the community.

However, with the impact of the pandemic and social distancing, there are concerns about whether activities and groups of people will return to the venues, restarting the bookings income stream.

Now, Shropshire village hall committee members have had their say on the importance of village halls and the work that they do for their local community.