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Community Action Scoops Cash Rewards for Sussex Villages

Herstmonceux has scooped top prize and £500 in the Sussex Village of the Year competition, run by Action in Rural Sussex and sponsored by Calor with support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Three other villages, Fairlight, near Hastings, Hassocks and Forest Row have each won awards as runners up and £150 to spend on local community projects.

Action in Rural Sussex (AirS) was set up 75 years ago to champion rural communities across Sussex. Winners of the competition have to demonstrate how villages have worked together to improve local facilities and services. They were judged on six aspects of village life with categories in Building Community Life (supported by Defra), Business, Young People, Older People, Environment and Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Chair of the judging panel and AirS trustee Shirley James explained: “In its early days, the Village of the Year competition was all about how the community looked – now our aim is to reward the villages who are best at working together as communities to boost local quality of life. This year’s winners are shining examples of how much can be achieved.

“We hope their success will inspire others – and encourage more communities to enter in future years”

Herstmonceux will now compete with villages across the country in the national Calor Village of the Year for England competition. More than 40 villages across England will be competing in the competition, which has a total prize fund of over £39,000 and a top prize of £7,000. Herstmonceux will initially be representing the county in the South England region of the competition against villages from Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire and Surrey.

Herstmonceux: The village impressed judges with its range of activities for all ages, new facilities and ability to involve all sections of the community. Key features include:

• The success of the new £500,000 village hall , which opened in 2000, and has quickly developed into an active community centre

• A community information centre established in the heart of the village

• An away warden scheme, run by the local churches, in which villagers keep an eye on each others homes when they are empty

• The enthusiasm of local people for their community, described by judges as “intoxicating”

Fairlight: The continued fight by villagers to protect their community from coastal erosion helped Fairlight achieve its village of the year award. Since 1997, five homes have been lost and the Fairlight Coastal Preservation Trust is fundraising for an ambitious scheme to reinforce the cliff edge. Other key features in their entry included:

• Newly installed CCTV cameras

• Active engagement by community police officers in village life

• Activate – a facility for village youngsters

Forest Row: Judges highlighted the active role of the parish council in encouraging the development of local activities and innovative new facilities. Key features include:

• The creation of the Jubilee community garden by a local man suffering from a crippling disease

• A new footpath from the village to the countryside, featuring local art work

• Improvements for pedestrians and car parking

• The range of activities for young and old at the community centre

• The range of local activists and volunteers

Hassocks: Judges highlighted the village as an active community that is not afraid of tackling big issues. Key features include:

• A campaign to improve train services and the local station

• The range of services for the elderly at the Age Concern centre

• Community transport initiatives

• The farmers market

• A skateboard park developed by local youngsters.

For further information:

Action in Rural Sussex:Teresa Gittins – 01273 405442
Action in Rural Sussex: Caroline Nicholls – 07836 342495
Herstmonceux – Dorothy Goldman 01323 832311
Fairlight – John Lutman 01424 813184
Hassocks – Linda Baker 01273 842714
Forest Row – Rodabe Rudin 01342 822661

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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