Skip to main content

Find out more about using the Virtual Village Hall

The UK’s health and social care system faces extreme pressures, exacerbated by health inequalities, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting backlog of elective surgeries and missed appointments. As a result, demand for social prescribing is expected to rise.

How the Virtual Village Hall can help

The Virtual Village Hall is designed as a health and wellbeing intervention. It helps people that face challenges getting out and about, that experience social isolation or loneliness, or that need support to better manage their health, including long-term health conditions. It is a free, easy to use activity resource to refer clients and patients to or to use with residents.

Who uses it?

Everyone is welcome to use the Virtual Village Hall. Professional users and referrers include social prescribers in GP surgeries, NHS teams on hospital wards, and activity co-ordinators in residential care settings.

What does it offer?

The Virtual Village Hall offers 12-15 live activity sessions every week via Facebook, YouTube or X, formerly Twitter, and an extensive archive of 2,000 sessions to view on demand. The range of activities reflects the NHS 5 steps to mental wellbeing. With themed categories, activities are easy to search and can be matched to individual needs and desired benefits. Session links and lists can be saved and shared.

To support physical wellbeing and to encourage people to be more active, there are exercise, dance and movement classes, including adapted sessions for those with mobility challenges.

To support mental health and wellbeing and promote mindfulness, there are coaching sessions, yoga, meditation and music, arts and crafts, and nature and writing workshops.

To promote nutrition and a balanced diet and support independent living, there are cooking and baking sessions to cook along to or watch on demand.

To develop new hobbies, interests and skills or to rediscover old ones, there’s something for everyone to try, including regular sessions that run every week.

To promote social connection and a sense of belonging, there are live sessions every day where people can exercise or join activities with other Virtual Villagers, share comments, chat, and meet session tutors.   

Case study

Sarah Baldwin, a Social Prescribing Link Worker in using the Virtual Village Hall.

Find out more
A social prescriber supporting a client in her home

Every year, we survey Virtual Villager users and health & social care professionals about their experience of using the Virtual Village Hall. Key findings from our 2023-24 survey were:

Infographic

Infographic showing impact of the Virtual Village Hall

“It’s a fantastic resource and I refer it on to my patients”

“I took ill with anxiety inside a MRI scanner, so the scan had to be cancelled. I have dreaded returning but have been able to have a scan today using the meditation shown to me by your Laughing Yoga leader. This will make an important difference to my health. Thank you!”

“I think the Virtual Village Hall is a godsend. It has helped me prepare for surgery and accompanied me as I heal. It has helped me manage physical ailments … It is creative and exciting (I now do burlesque and have been introduced to the stunning beauty of harp meditations) and this has opened up my rather limited world as I don’t go out too much. The VVH hosts and the class tutors are all fantastic and create such a warm, welcoming environment, I feel part of something even though I’ve never met you. I can’t believe I didn’t discover you earlier, but now I have, I feel more hopeful for an active, accompanied future. I can’t thank you enough”

“Really enjoy the sessions and look forward to them each week. Great teachers.”

“I live alone & have poor health so really appreciate the sessions.”

“I feel the Virtual Village Hall has been a real lifeline to me as I have suffered with Long COVID for over 2 years - because of the variety of events there is always something interesting and varied to do to help me feel less isolated and more inspired. You have been an amazing resource for my Community Support Group for people living with a neurodegenerative disease and their families - thank you so much for all you do!"

“I just want to thank everyone for providing these sessions, especially as they are free of charge, as they have built my confidence in times when it’s been difficult. I especially enjoy April’s Pilates classes. They are something I had never tried before and wouldn’t have had the nerve to go to a class, but the regular sessions have helped my flexibility and mindfulness enormously. Thank you so much.”

A person looking at their mobile phone

Get in touch

If you are a health and social care professional and would like to share your thoughts or experiences of using the Virtual Village Hall, we’d love to hear from you. 

Contact us