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Calor Durham Village of the Year Winners Revealed

The winning villages in the 2006 Calor Durham Village of the Year competition have been revealed.

A total of ten villages were in line for prizes in the competition, which is organised by Durham Rural Community Council (DRCC) and sponsored by Calor – the UK’s leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) with additional support from Durham FM. Standards were very high and the judging team had a difficult task selecting the winners, but the village of West Cornforth came out on top as the overall winner, gaining the prestigious title of 2006 Calor Durham Village of the Year. The village will be awarded a total of £1,000 prize money, £500 of which is specifically for the Building Community Life category and has been made available thanks to continued competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) for this category at both county and national level.

The village of Delves Lane has also been recognised by competition judges, coming out as Highly Commended. The remaining eight villages (Lanchester, Sedgefield, Heighington, North Bitchburn, Bishop Middleham, Ingleton, Gainford and St Johns Chapel) will all also be presented with framed certificates in recognition of their hard work.

The communities were judged on six aspects of village life in total: Building Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, Environment and ICT (Information Communication Technology). Judges commented: “All the villages involved in this year’s competition were excellent, but West Cornforth really stood out because of its amazing inclusiveness. 85 – 90% of residents are involved in activities that benefit the community as a whole and all residents are encouraged to get involved in village life, from the very youngest to the oldest and teenage residents in particular play a big role in the community. West Cornforth is an example of what the competition is all about.”

As the 2006 Calor Durham Village of the Year, West Cornforth will now go forward to 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.

Competition organiser on behalf of DRCC, Michelle O’Keefe, added: “We would like to wish West Cornforth the best of luck in the next stage of the competition. It’s a great community full of enthusiastic and motivated residents and we’re sure they’ve got what it takes to do really well at national level.”

The winning villages will be presented with their prizes at DRCC’s AGM on Wednesday 18th October. For further information regarding the Calor Durham Village of the Year competition please contact Michelle O’Keefe at DRCC on 01207 529621, email michelle.okeefe@durhamrcc.org.uk.

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Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Flent PR, a Connectpoint Company
tel: 0161 817 4200 / 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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