Hallmark – what is it?

1. Hallmark – what is it? A Quality Standard Scheme for village halls and community buildings Community Action Northumberland

2. Hallmark • Hallmark was developed in Somerset by their Rural Community Council • The scheme was refined and 14 counties were chosen to ‘trial’ it in 2008, including Northumberland • Not all counties run the scheme Community Action Northumberland

3. Main benefits - • To encourage, establish and reward ‘good practice’ • To encourage improvement in established management customs and procedures • To obtain recognition from other bodies, of an accepted standard of management Community Action Northumberland

4. The scheme - The scheme has 3 awards; Hallmark 1- assesses whether the hall is complying with the requirements of its charitable status • Hallmark 2 – assesses compliance with legislative issues • Hallmark 3– examines the role of the hall within its community and how it interacts with its users and the wider community Community Action Northumberland

5. How many Hallmark awards in Northumberland? • Hallmark 1– 13 Halls • Hallmark 2– 6 Halls • Hallmark 3– 1 Hall (a second hall is to be assessed next week) Handout – Hallmark 1 checklist Community Action Northumberland

6. Bold or not Bold? • Each of the checklists has a series of questions • The items in BOLD must be achieved • Approximately 70% of the non-bold items need to be achieved • A report is written as well as the completion of the checklist Community Action Northumberland

7. Hallmark 1- Charity administration and management • To ensure trustees have a copy of and understand the governing document • To ensure the hall holds the appropriate number of meetings • That the hall extends invitations for representation, to its user groups Community Action Northumberland

8. Hallmark 1 • To assess if financial matters are carried out in accordance with charity law and good practice • To ensure the committee is doing things in accordance with their governing document • Evidence of good practice in the halls hiring arrangements Community Action Northumberland

9. Hallmark 1 – • ensuring the necessary notices are on display • good general appearance inside and out of the hall • ensuring appropriate insurance arrangements are in place and reviewed Community Action Northumberland

10. Hallmark 2 - Health, Safety, Security & Licenses Handout – Hallmark 2 checklist • The hall is assessed to check all the bold items for Hallmark 1 remain in place • Hallmark 2 covers some of the matters touched on in H1, but in more detail • There must be written policies and procedures in place • The hall must prove the procedures are robust and evidence they are reviewed Community Action Northumberland

11. Hallmark 2 - topics covered • Health and hygiene – e.g. food handling, first aid, cleanliness of premises, good quality equipment • Health & Safety – e.g. risk assessments, building maintained to a high standard, fire risk assessments and maintenance checks undertaken, equipment stored safely, good escape procedures Community Action Northumberland

12. Hallmark 2 • Security & licences – are the appropriate licences held, is the premises licence on display, licence for the provision of alcohol, are Temporary Events Notices used, PRS/PPL licences. • Data protection, employment contracts in place, written hiring policy. Community Action Northumberland

13. Hallmark 3 – Community/social awareness, planning & development Handout – Hallmark 3 checklist • Communication – to ensure there is good communication with the community, hall users and other organisations in the area • Development plans – to ensure these are in place for use of the building/ new equipment, for hall improvements, energy efficiency audit and measures, promotional material Community Action Northumberland

14. Hallmark 3 • To ensure the hall is accessible to all • That new users and new groups are welcomed • That information about events is widely available • That events are arranged for a cross section of the community • That the trustees are representative of the community Community Action Northumberland

15. Hallmark 3 - • To ensure that (written) policies are in place for – finances, equal op’s, child protection/vulnerable users, hiring's, recruiting new committee members, maintenance, environmental matters. • To ensure that the hall reviews its budgets, maintenance, insurances, hire charges, use of building and policies Currently only circa 50 halls in the country, have achieved the Hallmark 3 standard Community Action Northumberland

16. ‘Visitors’- what is their role? • Visitors are the ‘Assessors’ • Visitors must be, or have recently been serving as a hall trustee • Visitors work in pairs to assess a hall • Visitors write a report for each assessment • Halls receive a copy of the report and checklist and the certificate Community Action Northumberland

17. Accolade -Doreen Burn Breamish Hall, Powburn • "Going through the Hallmark process has been very enlightening for our committee. We have put systems in place that ensure we are proactive and in control. Everyone has their own job to do and we have a system of checks in place to ensure that all jobs get done timeously. We are much more organised now and able to plan on an annual basis to set and achieve our goals. Hallmark has given us confidence in our abilities and the certainty that we are doing things right." Community Action Northumberland

18. Interested? Contact Louise Currie on 01670 500816 louisecurrie@ca-north.org.uk An application form to enter your hall, will be sent out to you on request. Information and advice will be given to you about entry of your hall to the scheme. Help and advice will be given to you in preparation for the assessment. Community Action Northumberland