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Has your Community got Something to be Proud about?

If you’re proud of your vibrant, inclusive community and want the chance to celebrate your achievements then you should consider entering your village in the annual Calor Cumbria Village of the Year Celebration, which launches on April 3rd 2006.

The Calor Cumbria Village of the Year Celebration encourages applicants to share best practice – letting other communities know how they have achieved things; and asking them how they involved everyone in the community, how they obtained resources, how long it took to plan and complete and how they plan to keep the project going.

Every entrant will be recognised for their achievements in the form of a plaque, and invited to the presentation ceremony on September 8th 2006.

For the second year running, there is a bonus incentive to join in the celebrations! After the closing date on 21st July, ten applications will be chosen to receive £50. This is thanks to continued support for the Building Community Life element of the Celebrations from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) at both county and national level. One entrant from the Calor Cumbria Village of the Year Celebration will also be nominated 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.

Lorrainne Smyth from Voluntary Action Cumbria, which organises this Calor sponsored celebration said: “We know communities all over Cumbria are engaged in excellent work on Parish Plans, youth activities, village halls, shop and local services projects and many other initiatives. This is an opportunity for the hard work involved to be recognised and celebrated. The entry forms are simple, and the celebration event on the 8th September is a friendly and informative experience.”

Application forms can be obtained from the Voluntary Action Cumbria website at www.ruralcumbria.org.uk or by telephoning 01768 242130. For information on the Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition visit the website at www.calorvillageoftheyear.org.

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Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Flent PR, a Connectpoint Company
tel: 01223 845781 (direct) / 0161 817 4200 (main office)
email: emma.flinn@connectpoint.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

Voluntary Action Cumbria

For more information contact Lorrainne Smyth on 01768 869522 or Carl Glynn on 01768 869525

Voluntary Action Cumbria is the Rural Community Council for the County of Cumbria. It is a registered charity (No 1080875) responsible for the delivery of a wide range of advice, information and support services to rural communities. It was established 54 years ago and is part of a national network of Rural Community Councils across rural England.

Voluntary Action Cumbria’s statement of purpose is:
• To promote, in co-operation with statutory authorities, voluntary organisations and where appropriate, private enterprise a complete range of services, particularly in rural areas.
• To enable local communities to develop new initiatives in response to social and economic change.
• To develop policies which favour disadvantaged groups in rural areas.
• To promote voluntary service for any charitable purposes for the benefit of the community
• To organise VAC efficiently and cost effectively.

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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