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Last chance to enter Village of the Year Contest

Action in rural Sussex seeks champion communities

Sussex communities have just a couple of weeks to enter the Sussex Village of the Year competition for 2007, with the closing date on May 31st.

Judges will be out and about during June and July to select the most active communities in East and West Sussex for the competition, run by Action in Rural Sussex. Winners will be announced at an awards evening on Friday, September 14th, at Ashington Village Hall in West Sussex.

The competition, sponsored by Calor – the UK’s leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), aims to award the villages which are best at working together to boost local quality of life. The overall winner will receive £1,000, with £250 for runners up in each of three categories for both East and West Sussex.

Applications are already in from a range of villages across East and West Sussex, with more expected by the end of May.

Chair of the judging panel and AirS trustee Shirley James said: “We know there are many villages in Sussex which are very active in working to build vibrant communities and improve local facilities and services – and these are the communities who should put themselves forward for Village of the Year.

“There are many challenges facing rural life today – for example the threat to local shops and post offices, a need for activities for young and old, access to public transport and affordable homes. However there are also communities across East and West Sussex determined to tackle these issues and make a difference – and we want to hear about them.”

Awards are set in three categories according to the number of residents: 1) up to 1,000; 2) 1,001 - 5,000 and 3) 5,001-10,000.

Entries will be judged on six aspects of village life: - active communities; business opportunities; young people; older people; environment and information communication technology (ICT). The winner will have the opportunity to bid for the title of Calor Village of the Year® for England 2007/8, an award that Ashington in West Sussex achieved in 2003.

Last year’s county winner was Herstmonceux, with Fairlight, Hassocks and Forest Row as runners up. Ashington took top prize in the South England region of the Calor Village of the Year® Best of the Best awards run by Calor to celebrate 10 years of the competition.

For further information contact: Teresa Gittins, AirS 01273 405442 or Caroline Nicholls, media relations 01903 265707

Notes to editors:

AirS began life in 1931 as Sussex Rural Community Council, a registered charity, and has served rural communities ever since. It changed its name in 2002. The role of Action in rural Sussex is to identify problems and to respond to the needs of rural communities - providing practical help and supporting villages in Sussex to remain vibrant living and working places. AirS’ agenda includes supporting communities to develop local action plans, distributing valuable grants for rural projects, developing innovative schemes for young people and campaigning on a range of key issues from affordable housing to rural transport.

Application forms are available from Michele Condon, Action in rural Sussex 01273 407325 / 473442 or Michele.condon@ruralsussex.org.uk

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

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