Stop Press

Is your Community one of Lincolnshire's Best Kept Villages?

Villages throughout Lincolnshire are being invited to enter the 2006 Lincolnshire Best Kept Village and Small Towns competition which is underway with information and entry forms going out to parish and town councils across the county.

The competition is run by the Community Council of Lincolnshire on behalf of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). It is sponsored by Calor – the UK’s leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), with additional support from Lincolnshire’s District and County Councils, Pennells of Lincoln and Tucann Design and Print.

The Lincolnshire Best Kept Village and Small Towns competition focuses on the community spirit highlighted through a well-kept environment, and celebrates communities pulling together for the benefit of all residents. It has always proved very popular with the county’s communities and regularly attracts in excess of 120 entrants.

Competition organiser on behalf of the Community Council of Lincolnshire, Teresa Palmer, is looking forward to a good response to the 2006 competition. She commented: “Taking part in this competition is a wonderful way of celebrating and promoting your community. We are looking for communities that take pride in their appearance, concentrating particularly on how well maintained facilities are, and how the general environment is cared for by the whole community. The competition has been running in Lincolnshire for 44 years, and we very much hope that it will continue to be as popular as ever with even more communities taking part this year.”

Further information regarding the competition is available from Teresa Palmer by email at bkv@cclincs.com, or by telephoning 01529 302466. The deadline for entries is 28th April 2006 and judging will take place throughout June, July and August. The winners will be announced in September and a formal presentation event will take place on November 1st.

- 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