As we’ve currently been thinking about creating a new community space for Arlington, a news item on the BBC website in early December 2023 caught my attention.

The story talks about an audit into village halls in Devon that found they are “hugely important to rural life,” according to the Beeb.

The study was carried out by Devon Communities Together and looked at 290 of Devon’s 440 halls.

“It found a lack of wi-fi at many sites and a shortage of younger volunteers could cause them to decline over time,” according to the BBC news story.

Interestingly, the report – the first of its kind in Devon – says more funding is needed to ensure these spaces remain important, effective working centres of rural communities.

Devon Communities Together received funding from Defra, Devon County Council and NHS Devon, the latter highlighting the health benefits of ensuring communities have spaces for people to meet, work and play together, strengthening community bonds.

I was surprised to hear nearly 40% of halls surveyed in the report don’t have wi-fi.

If we’re serious about getting young people interested in community spaces in Devon, this is surely something that needs to be addressed.

It’s an important news story to consider, especially as we seek to get our community space in Arlington up and running, and we of course look forward to hearing more from this study, and others like it.

You can read the full report via the BBC website.