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Devon's Top Villages Honoured

The winning villages in the 2006 Calor Devon Village of the Year competition have been honoured at a presentation event held on Wednesday 19th October at Branscombe Village Hall.

The competition is run by the Community Council of Devon (CCD) with sponsorship provided by Calor, the UK’s leading supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Continued competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) once again this year has also led to the availability of an extra £500 prize money in the Building Community Life section of the competition.

Representatives of overall winner Loxhore and runners up Loddiswell and Halberton were presented with their prizes by Paul Worth of Calor. As the 2006 Calor Devon Village of the Year, Loxhore was presented with the Jean Allen Memorial Cup which will be retained by the village for one year. It has also been awarded £500 prize money as Devon’s Building Community Life winner. All three villages were presented with framed commemorative certificates in recognition of their success.

In addition to gaining the prestigious title of 2006 Calor Devon Village of the Year, Loxhore has the added honour of being nominated to go forward and represent the county in the prestigious Calor Village of the Year® for England competition. More than 40 villages representing counties across England will be competing in the competition which has a total prize fund of over £39,000 and a top prize of £7,000. Loxhore will initially be judged against villages from Avonside, Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Wiltshire and Worcestershire.

For further information regarding the Calor Devon Village of the Year competition please contact Sally Foster on 01392 382534, email sally@devonrcc.org.uk.

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Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Flent PR, a Connectpoint Company
tel: 0161 817 4200 / email: emma.flinn@connectpoint.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

To interview Sally Foster (Devon’s competition organiser at CCD) about the Calor Devon Village of the Year competition, including contacts for other finalists, please telephone 01392 382534.

To interview Carole Delve from Loxhore, who led the village’s successful bid to be Devon’s Calor Village of the Year, please telephone 01271 850316.

To interview Geoffrey Sworder (CCD Trustee who chairs the judges) about the Calor Devon Village of the Year competition, please telephone 01404 891623.

To interview Jay Talbot (CCD Chief Executive) please telephone 01392 382532.

Community Council for Devon (CCD)

The Community Council of Devon is an independent Charity committed to working for the future of rural Devon since 1961. We support the rural grass-roots – the parish councils, village halls and community groups – and help communities develop new and imaginative ways of meeting needs, working hand in hand with statutory bodies and with voluntary organisations.

Visit our website at www.devonrcc.org.uk and find out more about us.

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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