ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England)
ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England)
03 Nov 2026
Budget Promises Growth In Every Postcode, But Will It Reach Rural Communities?
The Budget offers opportunities for rural homes, businesses and services. The next test is whether funding and delivery reflect the realities of rural life. The Government’s promise of…
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28 Oct 2026
Initial Response To Budget Energy And Cost Of Living Support Announced
A joint statement from the Rural Services Network (RSN) and Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE). We welcome the £100 household energy payment and recognise the help…
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27 Oct 2026
Off-Grid Heating Costs: Help Us Share The Impact
Are rising heating oil or LPG costs affecting you, someone you support or the communities you work with? The Rural Services Network is looking for personal stories that…
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27 Oct 2026
PM Urged To Act As Rural Charities Call For Urgent Support For Heating Oil Users
Targeted financial support for off-grid homes is urgently needed as hundreds of thousands of families face price rises of over 75 per cent for heating oil as they…
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05 Oct 2026
Rural Households Face 74% Heating Oil Rise As Winter Approaches
Rural households that rely on heating oil are facing sharply higher costs as winter approaches. New analysis from Action with Communities in Rural England show that heating oil…
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05 Oct 2026
How Rural Councils Are Preparing For Flooding
From volunteer flood watchers to groundwater alerts, a new collection of case studies shows how parish and town councils are helping rural communities prepare for flooding. Published by…
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02 Sep 2026
Rising Energy Costs Deepen Rural Cost-of-Living Pressures
Households are facing renewed pressure on their finances this autumn, as energy bills rise and record levels of debt show that many people are already struggling to keep…
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26 May 2026
ACRE Event Highlights Vital Support For England’s Village Halls
Village hall advisers from across England came together earlier this month for the 2026 Village Hall Advisers Event, hosted by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) in…
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30 Apr 2026
Community Futures: Lancashire Village Halls Together
Community Futures Lancashire recently marked an important milestone with the successful launch of Village Halls Week. Delivered in partnership with ACRE and sponsored by Hallmaster and Utility Aid,…
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21 Apr 2026
New Online Hub Launched to Support Rural Flood Resilience
New Online Hub Launched to Support Rural Flood Resilience
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13 Apr 2026
Stronger Partnerships To Support Rural Housing Delivery
Rural Housing Enablers (RHEs) play a key role in bringing forward small-scale affordable housing in rural communities. Acting as independent facilitators, they work with parish councils, landowners, housing…
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09 Mar 2026
RSN Highlights Rural Challenges In Devolution Inquiry
The Rural Services Network’s Chief Executive, Kerry Booth, recently gave evidence to a parliamentary inquiry exploring how rural communities fit within the Government’s devolution agenda. The session formed…
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09 Mar 2026
Village Halls Week to Launch in Rural Lancashire
A week-long celebration of the country’s more than 10,000 village halls will officially launch during a special opening event in rural Lancashire next week. Village Halls Week, which…
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16 Feb 2026
Village Halls Week 2026
The popular campaign, Village Halls Week, is set to take place from 16-22 March 2026. The intention is always to raise awareness of England’s 10,000+ rural community buildings.…
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24 Nov 2025
Small Grants Scheme Reopens for Village Halls in England
Village halls in England can once again apply for small grants to support improvements, as the Defra-funded scheme managed by Action with Rural Communities in England (ACRE) has…
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03 Nov 2025
MPs Warn Rural Communities Risk Missing Out from Bus Services Act Reforms
Thousands of passengers could benefit from more reliable bus services after the Government’s Bus Services Act became law on 27 October 2025. The legislation gives councils new powers…
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06 Oct 2025
Rural Housing Enablers Unlock 2,000 Affordable Homes Pipeline
A network of independent advisors working to tackle England’s rural housing crisis has paved the way for potentially more than 2,000 affordable homes to be built across the…
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18 Aug 2025
Rural Housing Enablers Driving Change
A new evaluation of the Defra-funded Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) Programme has confirmed the critical role RHEs play in helping rural communities address the shortage of affordable homes.…
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04 Aug 2025
What is a Rural Housing Enabler?
The term Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) comes up frequently in discussions about tackling the rural housing crisis—but what do they actually do? Rural Housing Enablers are independent facilitators…
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16 Jun 2025
Grant Funds Available For Village Halls
Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) is pleased that further grant funding is being made available by government to help restore and modernise rural community buildings across…
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06 May 2025
A Royal Call to Action at the Rural Housing Conference
The Rural Services Network was proud to be represented by Assistant Chief Executive Nadine Trout at last week’s Rural Housing Conference, jointly hosted by English Rural and Action…
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28 Apr 2025
Royal Support for Rural Housing
HRH The Princess Royal, Patron of English Rural, will attend the “Affordable Rural Housing: Opportunity in Changing Times” conference on Wednesday, 30th April 2025, held at Coram, Brunswick…
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31 Mar 2025
Rural Communities in Focus: Insights, Inspiration, and What’s Next
Last week, we were proud to host another of our exclusive member-only seminars—this time focusing on the heartbeat of our work: rural communities. This engaging online event brought…
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17 Mar 2025
ACRE is Recruiting: Programme Manager for the Rural Housing Enabler Programme
The Rural Services Network (RSN) is keen to highlight an excellent career opportunity that strongly supports our mission to support the delivery of rural affordable housing. We work…
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10 Mar 2025
Join ACRE in Celebrating Village Halls Week 2025
Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) is looking forward to the return of Village Halls Week, scheduled for 17-23 March 2025. Village Halls Week is an annual…
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24 Feb 2025
Exciting Career Opportunity: Head of Policy and Public Affairs at ACRE
Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) is excited to announce an opening for the position of Head of Policy and Public Affairs. This new role is crucial…
Read more18 Feb 2025
Supporting Vibrant Village Halls and the Rural Flood Resilience Partnership
In this spotlight item we want to feature two topical items that ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is working on at the moment: supporting vibrant village…
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17 Feb 2025
Village and Community Halls: Guide to Surveys
Volunteers managing England’s 10,000+ rural community halls are being provided with guidance to help them commission the right type of building survey. The resource was instigated by ACTion…
Read more06 Jan 2025
Former ACRE Executive Director awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours list
Richard Quallington, the former Executive Director of ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), has been awarded an OBE in the King’s New Year Honours list for services…
Read more09 Dec 2024
Three new trustees elected to ACRE’s board
Election of Caroline Cotterell, Sharon Davis and Andrea Graham comes as the rural communities’ charity reviews its strategy At a busy Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 27…
Read more02 Dec 2024
Village Halls Week – Save the Date!
Village hall groups across the UK are being encouraged to put 17-23 March 2025 in their diaries by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE). The charity hopes…
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04 Nov 2024
Autumn Budget 2024
The Chancellor’s Autumn Budget 2024 presents a critical juncture for rural communities across the UK. As we pore over the details in the comprehensive budget document, the Rural…
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21 Oct 2024
Rural Services Network Collaborates on Urgent Housing Reform
In a significant collaborative effort, the Rural Services Network, alongside several key organisations, has sent a joint letter to Matthew Pennycook MP, the Minister of State for Housing,…
Read more22 Jul 2024
Corinne Pluchino, ACRE’s new chief executive, reflects on her first fifty days in post
One hundred days into a new role is often seen as a good moment for reflection, to consider new connections, fresh insights and, occasionally, unexpected surprises. In my…
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17 Jun 2024
Joint Appeal to Protect Rural Postal Services
ACRE, Plunkett UK, and the Rural Services Network (RSN) have jointly signed an open letter addressing significant concerns regarding Royal Mail. The letter is directed to the Secretary…
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10 Jun 2024
ACRE Reopens Grant Applications for Village Hall Improvements
ACRE is pleased to confirm that village hall management committees can apply once again for larger grants to improve their buildings The fund, which was originally announced to mark…
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13 May 2024
The Next Government Must Not Leave Rural Communities Behind
Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) is urging politicians of all persuasions not to forget the needs and circumstances of people living and working in the countryside…
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11 Mar 2024
Village Halls: Celebrating the Heartbeat of Rural Communities
The Chancellor’s announcement of £5 million towards the Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Fund for England is a significant win for rural communities. This timely injection of funds arrives…
Read more02 Feb 2024
Small grants made available to village halls in England
Defra funded grant scheme reopens for those managing rural community buildings, this time with a lower award threshold of £2, 000 to support smaller projects and make it…
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09 Oct 2023
Transport, health provision, loneliness and a lack of affordable housing top list of concerns identified by rural charities
New research by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) paints a picture of how organisations supporting rural communities have adapted post pandemic, and in response to the…
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31 Jul 2023
Feature Blog – Reduction of Banking Services in Rural Areas
The below blog is written for The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) by Jeremy Leggett, policy advisor at ACRE The Fidelity Fiduciary App… If Michael Banks in ‘Mary Poppins’, were…
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10 Jul 2023
Round up from #RuralHousingWeek
Last week, the RSN and many of its members proudly supported Rural Housing Week. Led by the National Housing Federation, the week aimed to shine a spotlight on the…
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21 Nov 2022
1,000 village halls face closure as fuel bills soar
ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) have been surveying village halls over the summer months, with worrying results for their continued future 88 respondents out of 873…
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06 Jun 2022
ACRE welcomes new grant scheme for improving village halls
National charity says £3 million fund announced by government will safeguard the future of many valued rural community buildings Timed to coincide with Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, the…
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30 May 2022
Boost for nation’s village halls as new Platinum Jubilee renovation fund launched
New £3m fund will support village hall improvement projects for over 100 village halls Fund is a lasting legacy from the Platinum Jubilee for rural communities Builds on…
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24 Jan 2022
Village Halls Week 2022: Innovating for the future
Monday 24 January – Sunday 30th January 2022 Village Halls Week is a national campaign, shining a spotlight on the contribution England’s 10,000+ village halls make to rural…
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18 Oct 2021
A joint letter to the Chancellor – Securing the Future of Rural Post Offices
A joint letter has been signed by Citizens Advice, the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, Age UK, and Action with Communities in Rural England calling on the Chancellor…
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09 Feb 2021
UK-wide events to inspire and support delivery of community-led affordable homes in rural communities
Jo Lavis, ACRE’s rural housing advisor blogs ahead of the UK Rural Housing Summit 2021 and explains why groups should attend. Across the country rural communities are responding…
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28 Sep 2020
Call for Government to level-up rural areas to support England’s economic recovery from COVID-19
Call for Government to level-up rural areas to support England’s economic recovery from COVID-19 Rural Coalition urges Government to unlock untapped potential of rural communities and economies and…
Read more01 Sep 2020
New rules will worsen the rural housing crisis
A letter, co-signed by the Rural Services Network, the Rural Housing Alliance, Plunkett Foundation and Acre has been featured in the Telegraph on 29th August 2020, highlighting the…
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13 Jul 2020
The Rural Housing Alliance ask the Government to focus on rural housing
The Rural Services Network, along with the Rural Housing Alliance, the National Housing Federation and Acre, have written to Secretary of State Robert Jenrick MP in Rural Housing…
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15 Jun 2020
From floods to pandemics – resilience for rural communities at times of crisis
Communities Prepared (a Groundwork South programme) and Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) have published a new guide to help rural communities become more resilient in the…
Read more21 May 2020
England’s rural Village and Community Halls are survivors!
The history of village halls goes back over 100 years. Deborah Clarke, Action with Communities in Rural England’s (ACRE) Rural Evidence and Village Halls Manager considers what the…
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10 Feb 2020
Crucial Census – National Village and Community Hall Survey
The ACRE Network needs your help for a crucial census. Carried out once every ten years the survey will provide up to date information about halls and the…
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30 Jul 2019
Rural Group reach out to new PM
The Rural Services Network, ACRE, Plunkett Foundation and Rural Coalition have written to the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson MP to highlight issues of concern in rural areas…
Read more08 Jan 2019
Celebrate England’s 10,000 Village Halls
National Charity Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and their 38 member organisations are running a week long campaign to celebrate England’s 10,000 Village Halls. Village Halls…
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25 May 2017
General Election 2017: ACRE’s ‘rural asks’
ACTION with Communities in Rural England has warned that future government policy must be fully ‘rural proofed’. The charity published its ‘Election Asks‘ after the main political parties published…
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