Developing Health and Wellbeing Hubs in Rural Dorset
Dorset Community Action supports the transformation of the county’s 192 village halls into vibrant, inclusive health and wellbeing hubs. Our work focuses on community buildings managed by volunteers, including village halls, church halls, and faith centres, helping them to become more sustainable, better connected to local health systems, and more responsive to the needs of their communities.
In early 2024, as part of Dorset Public Health’s Thriving Communities programme, DCA carried out research to explore how these spaces could serve as social care hubs, particularly for older residents. Through surveys, focus groups and a webinar, we engaged with 50 organisations to better understand the opportunities and challenges.
The findings confirmed that village halls play a vital role in connecting older people to their communities, local services, and voluntary sector partners. However, while many of these buildings are well-run and represent a significant community asset, they remain largely under-utilised by statutory services, despite strong examples of what’s possible when effective partnerships are in place.
DCA is unique in our combined approach, we can support your organisation with:
Thanks to funding from Dorset Council in 2024/25, we delivered a comprehensive support package to community buildings across the region to:
Through this initiative we have supported over 700 individuals and had 1,400+ direct engagements across Dorset, we also set up a Sustainable Community Spaces membership offering:
Enable your hall to engage isolated individuals and underserved communities with public services.
Tap into opportunities like social prescribing, GP partnerships, and preventative health services.
Strengthen governance, attract funding and reduce reliance on one-off bookings.
Not at all. We work with buildings of all sizes, from small village halls to larger community centres.
We help you frame your current offer in a way that aligns with health and wellbeing goals — and strengthen it with partnerships and funding.
No. Many wellbeing activities can be peer-led or run by VCSE partners. We help you make the right connections.
Community Spaces Membership is current free of charge for a limited time, although there will be charges for additional 1-to-1 advice and services.
Common Concerns:
“We’re just volunteers, this sounds like too much.”
We tailor our support to fit your capacity. You set the pace.
“We don’t know where to start with health services.”
That’s our job — we help you navigate NHS structures, introduce you to local contacts, and advise on realistic steps forward.
“We’re not sure our community would use these services.”
We’ll help you assess local need and co-design solutions with your community, from social prescribing to loneliness reduction activities.
Training Event Participant Feedback:
“Delivered at a pace that was easy to follow.”
“Factual and easy to understand, but the real-life scenarios made it come alive.”
“Templates and handouts are gold! We’ve already used them in our funding bids.”
Whether you want to explore health-focused services, need help with fundraising, or just want to know what’s possible, get in touch today.
Contact Caro Hart, Village Halls & Community Spaces Adviser for Dorset
📧 caro.hart@dorsetcommunityaction.org.uk
📞 07827 996905
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