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43 Oxfordshire Villages Compete in County Competition

A total of 43 Oxfordshire villages are competing for prizes in the 2006 Calor Oxfordshire Villages of the Year competition.

The competition, which is organised by Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC) and sponsored by Calor, is judging communities on several categories including Building Community Life, Business, Environment, Affordable Housing and Information Communication Technology (ICT). A total of 16 villages (eight large and eight small) have been shortlisted for prizes in the Building Community Life category and for the overall awards at both district and county level. In order to award these prizes, the 16 shortlisted villages have been invited to attend a judging event at Eynsham Village Hall on August 10th from 6.30pm.

All 43 villages are being judged in order to award the remaining prizes and it is hoped that as many villages as possible will be rewarded for their efforts. Prize money totalling £2,500 so far has been donated by Oxfordshire Rural Housing Partnership, Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment Ltd, Oxfordshire County Council, Vale Strategic Partnership, Cherwell District Council and West Oxfordshire Network. There is also £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.

In addition, the overall winning village of the 2006 Oxfordshire Villages of the Year competition 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.

Competition organisers on behalf of ORCC commented: “We are delighted with the response we’ve had from villages this year. Not only is the number of entries much higher than previous years, but they are also all of a very good standard, which is why we’ve had to shortlist villages for final judging. Whether they go on to win prizes or not, they have all done very well and we would like to thank the communities for their hard work and commitment in putting together their entries.”

For further information regarding the competition and a full list of participating villages, please contact Oxfordshire Rural Community Council on 01865 883488, email orcc@oxonrcc.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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