Stop Press

Woodsetts Triumphs in County Contest

The village of Woodsetts, South Rotherham is celebrating after being named Calor Yorkshire Village of the Year for 2007.

A total of four villages were shortlisted for judging visits in this highly prestigious competition, which is organised by Yorkshire Rural Community Council (YRCC) and was this year run in the South & West Yorkshire region. Sponsorship is provided by Calor - the UK's leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas).

The competition judged communities on six categories: Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, the Environment and Information Communication Technology (ICT). The standard amongst all the entries was very high and the judges were very impressed with the other three shortlisted villages - Cawthorne, Todwick and Hepworth, all of which used the opportunity awarded by the judges' visits to showcase their achievements and celebrate their community spirit.

However, the judges were particularly impressed with Woodsetts which they thought was an outstanding example of community spirit with villagers working together as demonstrated by the campaign to build a new village hall.

Jim McKinney, a member of the judging team, commented: "We had difficulty choosing an overall winner as each village displayed unique qualities and they should all feel extremely proud of the communities they live in."

Bill Pringle, Secretary of the Woodsetts Village Hall Management Committee, added: "Taking part in a competition has been an amazing experience and through our participation we have learned so much about each other. The competition made us realise just what a wonderful village we are!"

As the 2007 Calor Yorkshire Village of the Year, Woodsetts 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 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.

Phillip Lawson, Chairman of YRCC's Village Awards committee, concluded: "We congratulate Woodsetts on its achievement which was a real community effort and wish residents the best of luck in the Calor Village of the Year® for England competition. They are an outstanding community and did exceptionally well in the county competition. We are sure that this success can be replicated at national level."

For more information regarding the Calor Yorkshire Village of the Year competition, please contact Tina Chamberlain, Yorkshire Rural Community Council, William House, Shipton Road, Skelton, Yorkshire, YO30 1XF. Telephone 01904 645271 or email yrcc@williamhouse.co.uk.

For general information about Calor Village of the Year® visit www.calorvillageoftheyear.org.

Ends

Further press information available from: Emma Flinn, Connectpoint, tel: 0161 817 4221, 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 to 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 or visit: www.calorvillageoftheyear.org

For all media enquiries relating the Calor Village of the Year® competition, please contact Emma Flinn:
email: emma.flinn@connectpoint.co.uk or tel: 0161 817 4221

For all general enquiries relating to the Calor Village of the Year® competition, please contact Brian Challis: email: b.challis@ntlworld.com or tel: 01962 629768

Click here to download this press release in Word format