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Leicestershire & Rutland Best Village Competition Launches

The search has begun for the top villages in Leicestershire and Rutland with the launch of the 2007 Best Village competition. Competition organisers, the Rural Community Council (Leicestershire & Rutland), are encouraging entries from every village in the county with a population of 10,000 and under, and the deadline for entries is April 9th The competition is sponsored by Calor – the UK’s leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), with additional support from Leicestershire Rural Partnership.

Entries are invited from any organisation within a village, but should be supported by the parish council, and categories cover: Community Life, Village Halls, Village Ventures, Information Technology and business. Cash prizes are on offer to the winning communities

With a simplified entry format to this year’s competition, competition co-ordinator Diana Cook is looking forward to a good response from villages this year. She commented: “I am looking forward to entries from some new villages this year – everyone has the same chance of winning and we know we have some villages with a lot of community spirit out there.”

Villages interested in taking part in the competition can contact Diana Cook on 0116 268 9706 to request an entry form, or download it from the website at www.ruralcc.org.uk. The deadline for entries to the Calor Leicestershire & Rutland Best Village competition is Monday 9th April. Judging will take place during June, and all villages that enter will be invited to an awards celebration which will take place during September.

Later in the year, two villages – one representing Leicestershire and one representing Rutland, will have the added honour of being nominated to go forward and represent their counties in the prestigious Calor Village of the Year® for England competition 2007/8. This will give them the opportunity of gaining recognition at national level as well as a share of a prize fund totalling more than £36,000. The county’s nominees to the 2006/7 national competition, Ashby Parva and Greetham, have already submitted their written entries and are now preparing for a visit from competition judges during April.

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Further press information available from: Emma Flinn, Connectpoint, tel: 0161 817 4200, 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 competition.

The Calor Village of the Year® for England competition, now in its eleventh 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. Every year, Calor sponsors the majority of the county village competitions – which this year total more than 40 – each of which is invited to nominate one village to take part in the 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 2007 national Calor Village of the Year® for England competition alone stands at over £36,000. 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 support from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 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 competition:
email: info@calorvillageoftheyear.org, tel: 01962 629768, or visit: www.calorvillageoftheyear.org

The Rural Community Council is a registered charity that provides advice, information and practical assistance to all those who live, work and play in the rural areas of Leicestershire and Rutland by:
Offering advice and information on social, environmental, planning and funding issues.
Promoting and supporting community development and self-help through Parish Plans, Village Appraisals Village Design Statements.
Administering grant schemes and giving funding advice.
Organising competitions to encourage villages to undertake new projects and maximise use of existing services and facilities.
Monitoring the effects of key policy changes on rural areas.
Servicing other organisations such as the Leicestershire & Rutland Playing Fields Association.

www.ruralcc.org.uk, 0116 268 9706

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