COMMUNITY halls in north Pembrokeshire hit by the coronavirus pandemic can now take advantage of the local Helping Halls Project.

The Helping Halls project was initially launched in March 2020 by a consortium of local community halls and community councils.

It has been successful in securing further funding from the Enhancing Pembrokeshire Grant and the National Lottery Community Fund in order to support more community halls throughout the north Pembrokeshire area for a further 12 months.

This will include providing vital support to hall committees and volunteer groups as Covid restrictions begin to ease, and community halls begin to be used more widely again after 14 months of lockdown.

Project officers Hope Dowsett and Kerry Killick will be leading the project, which will offer community halls support with volunteer mentoring, funding applications, training opportunities, community outreach and more.

Hope is an arts professional who brings eight years of experience of working in the cultural sector to the project while Kerry is an administration specialist with more than 25 years of expertise.

"We're so pleased to be expanding this fantastic project, which has already made a real difference to the lives of residents throughout north Pembrokeshire," said Hope.

"We're really looking forward to working closely with community volunteers and hall committees to ensure that our community halls can become fantastic spaces for everyone to enjoy – and to help support communities to thrive, not just survive after a truly challenging time for us all."

If you help to support a community hall in north Pembrokeshire area and would like to get involved, or if you're a local resident who would simply like to share ideas or learn more, then do get in touch with Hope or Kerry.

You can ring them on 05603641527 for a friendly and informal chat, or email hopehelpinghalls@gmail.com or kerryhelpinghalls@gmail.com. You can also stay updated by searching for the Helping Halls Project on Facebook.