Midway between York and Harrogate in North Yorkshire, just off the A1M at Junction 47.  Only 40 minutes to Leeds and York and under an hour to Teesside.

A Scandinavian style log cabin, with excellent multi-functional main meeting room. In-house AV equipment that includes high quality projector, sound and lighting systems with excellent Wi-Fi. Option to cater for yourself, bring in caterers or pop to the pub!  Free car parking next door.

Located in a beautiful Yorkshire village (population 394 at the last census), Arkendale Community Hall is perfectly set up to host a one–day meeting, training course or yes, even a children’s party! Offering great value for money, it’s rare to find a village hall with fully functioning AV equipment let alone one where lunch can be taken in a superb village pub where delegates can enjoy freshly prepared Yorkshire Fayre. Friendly administrative support from the team of volunteers makes the organisers life easy.  Plus, your booking will support the local village continue their great charitable work.

The Arkendale Community Hall is a far cry from the former humble Army hut, which was donated to the village after the World War 1.  Today it’s a hive of local activity, with a positive attitude to securing hire bookings from corporate, charity and indeed any organisation that may wish to host an event.  

When you arrive, all you need to complete the scene is a dusting of fresh snow across the roof and you could be at Santa’s Arctic home.  But Arkendale Community Hall is no Grotto in any sense of the word.  Step through the doors and you are hit with a lovely pine fragrance that doesn’t come from a spray can, but beautifully crafted sustainable timber walls in what is a modern eco-friendly building.  

Also banish any ideas straight away of a draftee, dingy hall with the remnants of jelly and blancmange sticking to walls from the last kids’ birthday party.  It’s toasty warm in winter and refreshingly cool in the height of a balmy Yorkshire Summer! 

And it’s so easy to get there.  The A1M is just 5 minutes away by country lane.  Free parking is a thirty second walk across Arkendale’s ‘high street’ where you may have to watch out for the odd car and tractor now again.

If you thought the facilities would be second rate, think again. You only need to look at the major investment the Trustees have made in the in-house Audio-Visual System which many a corporate conference venue would be proud of. Pride of place goes to an HD projector and 3.5m wide 16:9 screen, perfect for corporate presentations and the projection of internet and streaming websites.  They’ve also not skimped on the sound system, which is just as well with so many “hard surfaces” which could provide sound distortion. All in all, it’s probably got the best techy equipment for a village hall for miles around.  

Essentially there is one main room which is a blank canvas in terms of room set up and indeed what type of event you want to hold.  It can seat up to 100 theatre style or is ideal for cabaret meetings for up to 60. Lots of natural light certainly is good for all day training courses which the Hall is well placed to host and has done so in the past.  Everything is beautifully clean and cared for and the kitchen is spotless with modern cooking facilities which would be a shame not to use… 

And so, here’s the dilemma.  What do you do for catering and refreshments?  You can of course keep it cheap and cheerful and bring your own tea bags, coffee and biscuits.  And if you have budding cooks in your group and fancy some impromptu team building there’s nothing stopping you making your own lunch.  But then again, why would you do that when the excellent Blue Bell Inn is within staggering distance just a few yards away? 

Frank the Manager is extremely friendly and is happy to arrange breakfast, teas/coffees, lunch, dinner, you name it over at the pub.  From simple buffets using the finest in local produce to three course lunches, just let him know http://www.thebluebellatarkendale.co.uk/

• There’s no problem with car parking which is literally just across the road.  It’s got plenty of space and is well signed. Watch out for tractors coming down the hill. 
• You really can keep costs down and run an event on a budget.  Not only are the hire charges for the Community Hall good value, but you can bring your own tea and coffee making facilities with you or even prepare lunch in the well kitted out kitchen as well. 
• Making a booking is easy via Caroline who is the very efficient booking secretary. Caroline will guide you along the way. 
• Knaresborough and Harrogate are both less than 20 minutes away.  Both these picturesque North Yorkshire towns have a range of accommodation should your delegates need to stay over or are travelling from a long distance away.

• There is only one main room.  No problem in itself, but you would have to be a little bit creative by using the kitchen if you wanted to have a separate breakout space.  Then again, you could always decamp to the Blue Bell Inn. 
• You will be left for your own devices once you are up and running.  So, if you are used to having on-hand technicians and conference staff helping you every step of the way, you may need to think again because at the end of the day Arkendale is a Community Hall. 
• This is the country.  And whilst it is just only five minutes away from the recently modernised A1M, you may get caught up behind a tractor and trailer, or combined harvest.  Take your time, chill and just remember you could be in the middle of a city – you’ll get there.

• This is a very accessible part of the country If you look on a map of the UK you can see that it is virtually half way between Edinburgh and London.  This fact and the proximity to the motorway network has meant that that the Community Hall has been used for national meetings and events.  This a particularly good call for a charity or association with national Members and where cost is key. 
• Why not hold your event on the same day as one the Film Clubs movie or Pilates classes?  Start your event with a gentle work out and end with a blockbuster film!

So perhaps you’ve never thought of holding your training course or team meeting in a village hall before. But when you factor in the reasonable cost, location, flexibility of the offering and the excellent AV, it might be worth popping on to your shortlist for your next event.  A Pub, A Church and a Village Hall.  What’s not to like?