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2006 Calor Somerset Village of the Year Competition - Approaching Deadline

Villages throughout Somerset are being reminded not to leave it too late if they want to enter the 2006 Calor Somerset Village of the Year competition. Information and entry forms went out to parish councils back in January encouraging them to take part and the deadline for entries is March 31st.

The competition is organised by the Community Council for Somerset and sponsored by Calor with additional support from Orchard FM and the Somerset County Gazette. Competition organiser, Katy Calvert, wants as many villages to benefit from entering as possible. She commented: “Putting together an entry for the competition can be a positive and enriching activity for communities – often villages don’t realise just how much they’ve got going on until they actually put it down on paper. Completing an entry is also a way of ‘auditing’ a community, helping villagers clarify what they do well, as well as identifying key areas for improvement. I want to encourage as many communities as possible to have a go – particularly those that haven’t entered the competition before. The closing date is approaching, but there is still time for villages to put together an entry if they act now.”

The competition judges communities on six aspects of village life with categories in Building Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, Environment and Information Communication Technology (ICT). All villages with a population of 5,000 are eligible to enter and entries are invited from any community organisation. For judging purposes, participating communities will be split into three sections covering small, medium and large villages. Cash prizes are on offer to the winners and runners up of all six categories, including £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 and 2006 Calor Somerset Village of the Year 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.

So if you want to lead the way in establishing your village as a role model for others, and you are proud of what your village offers residents and visitors alike, then you should enter your community in the 2006 Calor Somerset Village of the Year competition before it’s too late. Entry forms can be downloaded from the Community Council for Somerset website at www.somersetrcc.org.uk and further information can be obtained from Katy Calvert on 01823 331222.

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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

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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