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YRCC Launches Village of the Year Competition

Villages in Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate and Richmondshire are invited to enter Yorkshire Rural Community Council’s (YRCC) 2006 Village of the Year competition and celebrate why they are such great places to live.

Now in its 16th year, the competition - sponsored by Calor - the UK’s leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), comes with a first prize of £750 and runner’s up prize of £350. It is open to parish councils, village halls and community groups representing their village.

As well as winning the coveted Yorkshire Village of the Year title, the winning entry will also 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 £36,000 prize fund.

Stephen Hall of YRCC says: “North Yorkshire has so many fantastic places to live that we want to use this competition to raise the profile of villages with a strong sense of community. Categories cover Building Community Life, Young people, Older People, Business, Environment, and Information Communications Technology.”

Thanks to continued competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) at both county and national level during 2006, there is £500 prize money specifically for the Building Community Life category.

Entry to the Yorkshire Village of the Year competition is straightforward. Villages simply fill in an entry form and provide supporting material. Short listed entries will be visited by judges who will make the final decision.

Previous winners include Thorpe Willoughby, Snaith and East Keswick. Winning entries impressed the judges with their emphasis on community spirit and innovative thinking.

Stephen adds: “In previous years we have had entrants saying how the competition completely revitalised their village, and brought about a greater sense of community and celebration of village life. We’d like to keep this feeling going.”

Entry forms and further information can be obtained from: Stephen Hall (Competition Co-ordinator), Yorkshire Rural Community Council, William House, Shipton Road, Skelton, York, YO30 1XF. Tel: 01904 645271, E-mail: yrcc@williamhouse.co.uk

Closing date for entries is 7 July 2006.

The competition rotates annually around three areas of Yorkshire. Each year it is held within either North Yorkshire (East), North Yorkshire (West) and South and West Yorkshire. In 2006 entries are invited from North Yorkshire (West).

Based at Skelton, near York, YRCC is an independent charitable and voluntary organisation working across rural areas of north, south and west Yorkshire and the City of York. It works to help communities improve the quality of life for all people living and working in rural Yorkshire.

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Issued 9 March 2006

by Paul Johnston, Navigator PR 01947 880513 0r 07974 686556 paul@navigatorpr.com

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 £36,000. First prize is £6,000 with £1,500 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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