Newark and Bingham MP Robert Jenrick and Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Defra Minister for rural affairs, launched a new scheme by Action for Communities in Rural England to fund village hall repairs at Oxton village hall

Village halls in need of a face lift can now receive up to £75,000 of Treasury money following a launch with local MP.

National charity Action for Rural Communities in Rural England (ACRE) have been allocated £3 million for the upkeep of village halls, and the scheme was launched today (Friday April 5) by Newark and Bingham MP Robert Jenrick and Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Defra Minister for rural affairs, at Oxton village hall.

Robert said: "Village halls are at the heart of rural communities places where people come together and meet their neighbours or celebrate together, get fit an healthy, and so much more. But it's challenging for communities to raise funds so this scheme gives a helping hand to committees."

Village hall committees are now able to apply for grants of up to £75,000 towards refurbishment and alteration of their buildings, from improvement works on existing facilities through to new meeting rooms.

Speaking at the event, Lord Gardiner said: "In England, there are 10,000 halls, a hub for all sorts of activities. Not just that, lots of small businesses use village halls to earn a living and one in 10 village halls host a community enterprise, like coffee shops or farmer's markets.

"But it struck me that one in four village halls were built before World War One.

"The important thing is that village halls encompasses activities for every generation, this launch is to see how we can enhance and improve the facilities, and this will make a big difference for a large number of communities with village halls."

The scheme will fund up to 20 per cent of the costs of the hall's refurbishments, with a minimum £10,000 and maximum of £75,000. Grants given can be used to fund refurbishments such as extensions, installation of WiFi, new toilets or kitchens, repairs to guttering or roofs, and more.

David Emerson CBE, ACRE chairman, added: "Oxton was chosen for the event because we wanted to use a "typical" village hall and this is a great example, it comes from the 60s and it's right in the heart of the community."

To apply for funding, village hall committees are encouraged to log on to the ACRE website at www.acre.org.uk and complete an online application, and then submit a full application before March 31 2020.