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Launch of the 2006 Calor Essex Village of the Year and Best Kept Village Competition

A strong community spirit, activities and events for all age groups, and evidence of village pride are ingredients which could help local villages land major prizes in this year’s Calor Essex Village of the Year and Best Kept Village Competition. The overall Essex winner will also have a chance to take part in the prestigious national Calor Village of the Year^® for England and Wales competition.

Nick Shuttleworth, Director of Rural Community Council of Essex, which organises the competition, is keen to see as many villages as possible taking part.

“I believe this competition is relevant to every village. There are numerous villages of all sizes in every part of Essex capable of pressing a strong claim. One of the exciting features of last year’s event was that no less than four of our major winners had never previously won a prize in the competition,” he said.

“We are offering attractive prizes, especially for the Village of the Year winner, thanks to the generous support of our sponsors Calor, and additional backing from Defra – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,” he added. Defra is providing continued competition support at both county and national level during 2006, including £500 prize money specifically for the Building Community Life category.

The competition is about much more than prizes. Villages say taking part helps bring the community together; highlighting strengths they did not realise were there. In recent years, Essex villages have also excelled in the national competition, providing three regional winners as well as one outright winner.

Entry forms and information packs have been distributed to parishes across the county. The closing date for entries is 31st March. Further information and advice on entering is available from Rural Community Council of Essex on 01245 352046.

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

Further information from Nick Shuttleworth on 01245 352046.

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 £36,000. First prize is £6,000 with £1,500 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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