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Search for Essex Village of the Year gets Underway

All last year’s winners are defending their titles in this year’s Calor Essex Village of the Year and Best Kept Village Competition, along with five villages that have not entered for ten years or longer.

Altogether there are 72 entries, with the largest share coming from the Braintree and Uttlesford districts, although there has also been an impressive turn out in Brentwood.

The competition is organised annually by the Rural Community Council of Essex whose director, Nick Shuttleworth, said this week that the high number of previous winners could not be taken as a form guide! “Last year, for instance, our Village of the Year, Earls Colne, and three other BKV winners, all tasted success for the first time,” he said.

Judging will take place over the next two months and the results will be announced at the RCCE’s annual general meeting on 12th July.

Nick emphasised that the competition was not about prettiness: “The emphasis these days is very much on community involvement, and the work that goes on to sustain village amenities and activities. The villages are judged partly on inspection and partly on a profile questionnaire which every entrant has submitted. This reflects what goes on in the village throughout the year.”

Prizes are on offer to the winning villages, including £500 specifically for the Building Community Life element of the Village of the Year competition, which has been made available thanks to continued competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) at both county and national level. The Calor Essex Village of the Year winner will also go forward and represent the county in the prestigious Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition, with the opportunity of gaining recognition at national level as well as a share of the £39,000 prize fund.

“We have done well in the national competition in previous years, which emphasises the quality of the entrants we get in Essex,” Nick Shuttleworth added.

The Rural Community Council of Essex is an independent charity which supports projects throughout rural Essex and acts as a voice for rural people on key issues.

Further information from Nick Shuttleworth on 01245 352046 or e-mail: nick.shuttleworth@essexrcc.org.uk.

Notes to Editors:

Calor Village of the Year^®

Calor, the leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to those living and working in the countryside, has supported rural activities in England, Scotland and Wales for 20 years through its Rural Sponsorship programme, which includes the Calor Village of the Year^® for England and Wales competitions and the Calor Scottish Community of the Year competition.

The Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition, now in its tenth year, was founded and developed by Calor, and is organised and funded by the company on an annual basis.

Please note that Calor Village of the Year^® is a registered trademark and should be referred to in full in all circumstances.

Entry to the Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition is through the existing county competition network.

Following competition support in 2005, Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is once again providing Calor with additional funding in 2006 to enhance the community life element of the competition through the Building Community Life category. Defra’s special aim is to encourage the inclusion of all groups and individuals into the fabric of rural community life - building cohesive and mutually supportive communities. Defra’s involvement means that every village in England has the opportunity to enter the 2006 Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition.

The national Calor Village of the Year^® judges look for well-balanced, pro-active, caring communities which, irrespective of size, have made the best of local opportunities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all residents.

The prize money for the national Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition alone stands at over £39,000. First prize is £7,000 with £2,000 going to each of five regional winners. In addition, there are five category prizes of £500 within each region (covering Business, Environment, Care for Older People, Care for Young People and Information Communications Technology), and a prize of £750 for the winner of the Building Community Life category in each of the five regions. The five regional winners of the Information Communication Technology category are judged to find an overall winner, the award for which is £1,000. There is also, thanks to the Defra support, a prize of £2,000 for an overall Building Community Life winner, which is selected from the five regional winners.

For general information on the Calor Village of the Year^® for England and Wales competitions:

email: info@calorvillageoftheyear.org, tel: 01962 629768, or visit: www.calorvillageoftheyear.org

For more information on the Calor Scottish Community of the Year competition:

visit: www.communityoftheyear.co.uk

For more information on Defra:

visit: www.defra.gov.uk or for information specific to rural affairs visit: www.defra.gov.uk/rural/default.htm

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