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Which village is most special in Northumberland?

Villages in Northumberland are competing to find the most special place in the county.

It is the third year that the competition has been organised by Community Action Northumberland (previously Community Council of Northumberland) and villages with fewer than 5,000 residents are eligible to take part.

The competition is sponsored by Calor (UK supplier of LPG - liquefied petroleum gas) and the winner will take the title of Northumberland Village of the Year, as well as a prize of £400.

Communities will be judged on four aspects of rural village life – people, business, environment and communications. They can enter as many categories as they wish. They will also have a chance to describe in up to 500 words what makes their village a special place.

Village hall secretaries, parish council clerks, community associations and development trusts in Northumberland have all been told of the competition.

It is the 11th annual Calor Village of the Year® competition and the third time that settlements in Northumberland have had the opportunity to enter.

Later in the year, the winner will have the additional honour of representing the county in Calor’s prestigious national competition and possibly sharing in a prize fund totalling more than £36,000.

Assistant director of CAN, Alan Hedley, said that he hoped as many villages as possible would take part in the competition to do justice to some excellent communities in Northumberland.

“Working with fellow villagers on the entry can build up an excellent community spirit,” he said, “and it reminds residents, if they need reminding, of what a special place they live in. It is a good way to do an audit of all aspects of village life and to raise the profile of communities.”

Previous winners in Northumberland were Wingates, in 2005, and Allendale, in 2006. Wingates is a very small village and the judges commented that so much was happening there and that the community spirit was so good. Allendale was described as a vibrant and thriving village with a very inclusive community.

Alan said that the two previous victors were proof that a small or larger village could win the competition and go forward to the national competition.

The manager of the Calor Village of the Year®, Suzanne Weir, said: “We are pleased to sponsor this annual competition and we are always impressed at the character of the villages that take part. It brings people together and is a celebration of all that is best in village life.”

Entry forms can be obtained from the Morpeth office of Community Action, by telephoning 01670 517178, or can be downloaded from its website at www.ca-north.org.uk.

The closing date for entries is May 31st and judging by a panel from CAN will take place in June and July.

For further information about the Northumberland competition, please contact Judith Draycott, on 01665 575 267, or Alan Hedley, on 01670 517178

Notes to the editor from Calor

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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