ACRE

What ACRE does

ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is a registered charity (No: 1061568) and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1987 and operating as the national coordinating body for 38 independent county-based rural community charities across England. The national office is small (~17 staff) and operates from a registered address in Bristol (2nd Floor, South, One Castle Park) with a correspondence address in Shipston on Stour, having relocated to Woodstock, Oxfordshire in 2021. Its stated purpose is to ensure that people living in rural areas are not disadvantaged by location, addressing affordability, isolation, poor connectivity, and access to services.

Core programmes include the Defra-funded Rural Housing Enabler programme (operating through 35 of 37 member charities and extended to 2029), the annual Village Halls Week campaign (covering England's 10,000+ village halls, extended to Scotland and Wales for 2026), a Village Halls Support and Advice Service, the Rural Flood Resilience Partnership (of which ACRE is one of six members), and community-led planning support. Outputs include guidance publications, policy responses, and research such as evaluations showing £3.30 of social outcome benefits per £1 invested in the Rural Housing Enabler programme and a pipeline of 400+ rural housing schemes supporting 3,000+ potential affordable homes.

ACRE generates no fee revenue; its funding model is multi-stream grant and donation based, anchored by Defra government grants, the National Lottery Community Fund, corporate sponsorships (e.g., Hallmaster, Utility Aid), and public donations via JustGiving. It does not sell software, products, or services commercially, has no disclosed revenue, and operates exclusively in England (with Village Halls Week 2026 being the first cross-border campaign). Governance is provided by a board of trustees chaired by James Blake, with Corinne Pluchino appointed as Chief Executive in 2024, following the publication of ACRE's 2025–2030 strategy 'Rural Ambition: enabling communities to thrive'.

Name

ACRE

Legal name

Action with Communities in Rural England

Website

https://acre.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is a national charity founded in 1987 that coordinates 38 county-based member charities to deliver affordable rural housing, village halls support, flood resilience, and policy advocacy for England's rural communities, funded primarily by Defra and the National Lottery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Community Development Services

akta.pro primary industry

Capital Projects & Farm Expansion Advisory (Feasibility, Site Planning, ROI) (AFACAJAN)

Keywords

• Rural community development
• Affordable rural housing
• Village hall support
• Rural policy advocacy
• Community-led planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Shipston on Stour

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Primary funding from government departments, particularly Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), which funds programs such as the Rural Housing Enabler programme.
2. National Lottery Community Fund: Funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for various community support programs and initiatives.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Sponsorship from companies such as Hallmaster and Utility Aid for Village Halls Week campaigns.
4. Donations: Public donations accepted through JustGiving platform.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACRE is a national charity that coordinates a network of 38 county-based rural community support organisations across England. It delivers the Defra-funded Rural Housing Enabler programme supporting affordable rural housing schemes, the Village Halls Support and Advice Service for volunteer hall committees, the annual Village Halls Week campaign, the Rural Flood Resilience Partnership, and Community-Led Planning services, alongside policy advocacy and research publications for rural communities.

Product overview

ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is a national charity that offers a portfolio of programmes, services, and campaigns rather than a single unified product. The core offerings include the Defra-funded Rural Housing Enabler Programme, which provides specialist advisers to help rural communities deliver affordable housing; the Village Halls Support and Advice Service offering guidance to management committees; and the annual Village Halls Week campaign. ACRE also coordinates the ACRE Network of 38 member charities, produces publications and resources, and participates in the Rural Flood Resilience Partnership. These services work together to support rural community development, affordable housing delivery, village hall management, and broader rural advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rural Housing Enabler Programme A national Defra-funded programme coordinated by ACRE through 35 of its 37 member charities, providing specialist independent advisers (Rural Housing Enablers) who help rural communities identify local housing need and bring forward small-scale, locally supported affordable housing schemes. Target audience: rural communities, parish councils, housing associations, and local authorities seeking to deliver affordable rural housing.
• Village Halls Support and Advice Service Expert advice and guidance service for volunteer-run village hall management committees across England's 10,000+ village halls, covering governance, funding applications, energy efficiency, insurance, and compliance with regulations including Martyn's Law. Target audience: volunteer hall committee members and trustees.
• Village Halls Week 2026 ACRE's flagship annual national campaign celebrating England's 10,000+ village halls, raising awareness of their role in supporting rural communities with health and wellbeing activities. Target audience: village hall committees, rural community members, MPs, and stakeholders.
• Rural Flood Resilience Partnership A partnership of six organisations providing tools, resources, and updates to support rural communities in preparing for severe weather and flood recovery, hosted by ACRE. Target audience: rural communities, parish councils, and network members facing climate and flood risks.
• Community-Led Planning Services Advisory support for community and neighbourhood planning, helping rural communities shape their own futures through participatory planning processes including community-led plans and neighbourhood plans. Target audience: rural communities and parish councils undertaking local planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• £3.30 social outcome benefits generated per £1 invested in Rural Housing Enabler programme
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Defra is the primary government funder of ACRE's Rural Housing Enabler programme. The programme has been extended to 2029 and coordinates rural housing enablers across 35 member charities. Evaluation found the programme generates £3.30 social outcome benefits per £1 invested.
• Hastoe Housing AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing association partner in developing affordable rural housing schemes. Partnered with Cambridgeshire ACRE and local authorities on West Farm Close nine-home development in Eltisley.
• Rural Flood Resilience PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACRE is one of six partnership members. Partnership provides tools, resources and updates to support rural communities in flood preparedness and recovery. ACRE hosts quarterly meetings for network colleagues to share information.
• HallmasterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVillage halls booking system provider and sponsor of Village Halls Week 2026. Provides innovative venue booking system to help rural buildings manage calendars of events.
• Utility AidminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnergy help and advice provider and sponsor of Village Halls Week 2026. Provides energy advice to communities across England.
• Insley ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAgency appointed by ACRE to assist with monitoring and reporting of the Defra local action grant (LAG) agreement. Produces high-quality impact reports showing value of LAG-funded projects.
• Scottish Rural ActionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Village Halls Week 2026, extending the campaign to Scotland for the first time alongside Wales Council for Voluntary Associations.
• Wales Council for Voluntary AssociationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Village Halls Week 2026, extending the campaign to Wales alongside Scottish Rural Action.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Locality: National network supporting community-led organisations including those operating in rural areas; directly comparable in promoting community-led development, capacity building, and local voice across England with similar funder and local-authority relationships.
• Power to Change: Independent trust supporting community businesses in England with grants and research; directly comparable in mission to strengthen rural and disadvantaged communities through locally-led enterprise, capacity building, and policy advocacy.
• Plunkett Foundation: UK charity supporting rural community businesses and cooperatives through advice and network coordination; addresses similar challenges of rural service provision and community resilience. Directly comparable as a rural-focused community support organisation with overlapping stakeholder base.
• Groundwork: Federation of trusts supporting community-environment partnerships across England; comparable as a national network addressing rural and community regeneration, with similar funder relationships and programme delivery through local member trusts.
• NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action): National membership body for local voluntary and community sector infrastructure in England; uses a similar network-coordination model with member organisations delivering frontline services. Directly comparable to ACRE in structure, governance, and mission of supporting local community organisations.
• Rural Services Network: Membership organisation advocating for fair provision of services in rural areas across England; directly comparable in policy advocacy focus, rural community stakeholder engagement, and convening role across local authorities and service providers.

Regional players

• Wales Council for Voluntary Action: Wales-wide umbrella body for voluntary organisations including those serving rural communities; comparable in network model but focused exclusively on Wales; partnered with ACRE on Village Halls Week 2026.
• Scottish Rural Action: Scottish equivalent focused on rural community voice and advocacy through a similar network of local organisations; comparable in mission and structure but operates only in Scotland; partnered with ACRE on Village Halls Week 2026.

Others

• Carnegie UK: UK-wide charitable foundation working on well-being and place-based policy including rural areas; comparable through overlapping rural policy research interests but operates as a grant-making foundation rather than a delivery network and lacks ACRE's direct service coordination role.
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation: Independent research and development foundation studying poverty and place-based disadvantage including rural communities; comparable through overlapping rural and housing policy research interests but funded and structured differently as a think tank rather than a delivery network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/acre_national
• Facebookfacebook.com/ACREnational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acre-action-with-communities-in-rural-england

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ACRE