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Search Begins for the 2006 Surrey Village of the Year

All villages in Surrey are being called upon to take part in The 2006 Surrey Village of the Year competition which has just been launched. Invitations to enter are being sent to Parish Councils, Village Hall Committees, community groups and village shops throughout the county.

The competition, organised by Surrey Community Action and sponsored by Calor and Defra, looks for caring, vibrant village communities, which take pride in their sense of community and encourage local initiatives that enhance the quality of life for residents. The competition judges communities on six aspects of village life with categories in Building Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, the Environment and Information Communication Technology.

Cash prizes are on offer to the winning communities in the competition, including £250 for the Surrey Village of the Year and £100 for two runners-up. The winner of the ‘Building Community Life’ category will win £250 prize money, which has been made available thanks to continued competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) at both county and national level. The aim of this section is to recognise how villages are encouraging inclusion by all in rural community life. Prizes of £50 will also be offered to five runners-up in this category.

The winner of the 2005 Surrey Village of the Year competition was Brockham, with Thursley winning the ‘Building Community Life’ category. All the villages that entered found the experience to be an extremely positive one with lasting benefits for the community.

Jean Roberts-Jones, Chief Executive of Surrey Community Action is looking forward to a good response from villages to this year’s county competition: “This competition is not about perfect villages, its about communities working together to make life as good as it can be, in whatever way possible. If you enter, your community will have the opportunity to highlight and celebrate what has been achieved in your village, both within the community and to a wider audience. Getting together for an activity such as this can also be a great way of reinvigorating the community, and may even prompt you to look at ways in which your community can be further enhanced. I can’t stress enough what a positive activity entering the competition can be and I want as many villages to benefit as possible.”

The deadline for entries to the Surrey Village of the Year 2006 competition is Tuesday 30th May. Judging will take place over the summer, and all villages which enter will be invited to an award celebration in late September. The Parish Council does not have to take the lead in entering, it could be the WI, church, shop or Village Hall Committee.

Later in the year, one of the winning villages from Surrey will have the added honour of being nominated to go forward and represent their county in the prestigious Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition. This will give them the opportunity of gaining recognition at national level as well as a share of the £36,000 prize fund. Last year Thursley, representing Surrey, won a regional category award for the Environment and received their prize at a prestigious awards ceremony in London.

Further information regarding the competition and how to enter is available from Linda Proctor on 01483 459292 ext 213, email lindap@surreyca.org.uk or from the Surrey Community Action website - www.surreyca.org.uk

Surrey Community Action is resourcing the voluntary and community sector across Surrey through access to advice, training, funding and advocacy.

Contact: Jean Roberts-Jones, Chief Executive, Surrey Community Action, Astolat, Coniers Way, Burpham, Guildford, Surrey GU4 7HL. Tel 01483 4549292 ext 200 email jeanr@surreyca.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 £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