Stop Press

Call to Action for Dorset's Villages

Villages throughout Dorset are reminded not to leave it too late if they want to enter the 2006 Dorset Best Kept Village and Best Community competitions. Information about the competitions went out to villages back in February encouraging them to take part and they have until April 28th to send their entries in.

The competitions are run by Dorset Community Action (DCA) and sponsored by Calor, the UK’s leading supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), with additional support from Dorset County Council, the four District Councils, the International Tree Foundation, the Dorset Echo, the Western Gazette, and Leslie Phillips MBE. Competition co-ordinator, Simon Thompson, wants as many villages as possible to benefit from entering. He commented: “I want to encourage as many communities as possible to enter, particularly those that haven’t taken part in either competition before. We’re not looking for ‘perfect’ villages so don’t be afraid to have a go. Entering the competitions can be a very positive activity for a community – bringing people together and engendering community spirit. The closing date for entries is approaching, but there is still time for villages to take part if they act now.”

The Best Kept Village competition is open to villages with a population of 3,000 and under and encourages residents to work together to keep villages tidy and well maintained. The Best Community competition, which is open to all villages in Dorset regardless of population, judges communities on six key aspects of village life. Categories cover Building Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, the Environment and Information Communication Technology (ICT). There is £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.

Later in the year, one village with a population of 5,000 or under 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.

Entry forms can be requested from Dorset Community Action by telephoning 01305 250921 or downloaded from www.dorsetcommunityaction.org.uk.

- ends -

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

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

Click here to download this press release in Word format