Hallmark Quality Standards Scheme

The Hallmark scheme was launched by ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) on 30 March 2007 and has been available in Dorset from the 1st July 2010. The scheme promotes the best practice in the management of village and community halls through a quality standards evaluation process using a network of peer visitors. The trained peer visitors use prescribed check lists to provide an external validation of achievement at a local level but against nationally set quality standards.

Hallmark was originally developed by the Community Council for Somerset in 2006 and has run successfully in that county ever since. It now runs in many counties across England and now this includes Dorset.  There are three stages to Hallmark.  Until 2014, Dorset has only offered Hallmark 1, but with the Scheme now being administered by Community First - the Wiltshire equivalent of Dorset Community Action - we have trained assessors from within DVHA membership and can now offer all 3 levels .

The Hallmark scheme can bring three main benefits:

• it provides village hall trustees with confidence that they are running the hall in line with best practice. This can assist in the recruitment of trustees by providing reassurances that personal risk is minimal
• it provides potential hall hirers with confidence that they are hiring a hall that is well run   
• it provides funders with confidence that if they provide funding it is going to a well managed hall
  

The 3 levels of accreditation are:

Hallmark 1 - Charity administration and management

Hallmark 2 - Health, safety, security & licences

Hallmark 3 - Community/social awareness, forward planning and development
 

The Hallmark process is entirely voluntary and halls are under no obligation to pursue it. To date no demands have been made by any funder that halls they fund are Hallmark accredited; however some would consider an application from a Hallmark accredited hall more positively than a non-accredited hall and that is one of the reasons we have brought the scheme to Dorset.

Hallmark is also an exceptionally good way to effect change in the management of a hall giving new trustees an ideal way of reviewing their standards of operation and making improvements where best practice suggests change is desirable (or essential!).

At the present time Hallmark 1 is being provided free for a fixed administration charge of £30 to halls wishing to participate. If above average visits are required, a small contribution to peer visitor travel expenses will be required (typically £15 per visit).

In the following pages you will find a step by step process of how to establish whether Hallmark is appropriate to your hall and how to go about the process of obtaining Hallmark 1 or more accreditation levels.