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Call to Action for Hampshire Villages

Villages throughout the county with a population of 6,000 and under are being reminded not to leave it too late if they want to enter the 2006 Calor Hampshire Village of the Year competition. Information and entry forms went out to villages back in February encouraging them to enter and the deadline is coming up on 31st May 2006.

The competition is organised by the Hampshire Association of Parish and Town Councils (HAPTC) and sponsored by Calor in association with Defra, with additional support from Hampshire’s district councils. The entry form for 2006 has been made easier to encourage more entries. Competition organiser on behalf of HAPTC, Steven Lugg, commented: “I want to encourage as many communities as possible to enter, particularly those that haven’t taken part in either competition before. We’re not looking for ‘perfect’ villages so don’t be afraid to have a go. Entering the competition can be a very positive activity for a community – bringing people together and engendering community spirit. The closing date for entries is approaching, but there is still time for villages to take part if they act now.” One new exciting development is the Community Publication of the Year Award being sponsored by Greenhouse Graphics of Bramley, near Basingstoke and open to all ‘geographical communities’ and ‘communities of interest’ in Hampshire. With £650 available in prizes for this aspect of the competition alone, there have never been so many good reasons for entering.

The competition judges communities on six aspects of village life with categories in Building Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, Environment and Information Communication Technology (ICT) and entries are invited from any community group – it doesn’t have to be through the parish council. Cash prizes of £400 and £200 are on offer to the overall winner and runner up respectively. In addition there is £500 prize money specifically for the Building Community Life category, 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. This will be split between a winner, which will receive £300, and a runner up, which will receive £200. There is also an award of £100 for the Best Small Village (population 500 and under), and a schools’ poster competition with a prize of £100 for the winning poster, which will also be used to promote the county competition next year.

New for 2006 is an added element to the competition at district level. A winning village in each of Hampshire’s seven districts will be selected and will receive a plaque. The following four District and Borough Councils are joint competition sponsors for their own areas; Basingstoke &
Deane Borough Council, East Hampshire District Council, Test Valley District Council and Winchester County Council.

The overall winning village (according to eligibility) will have the added honour of being nominated to 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 prize fund totalling more than £39,000.

For further information and entry forms please contact Steven Lugg on 01962 841699, email steven.lugg@hants.gov.uk.

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Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Flent PR, a Connectpoint Company
tel: 01223 845781 (direct) / 0161 817 4200 (main office)
email: emma.flinn@connectpoint.co.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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