Press Archive

2005 Hampshire Village of the Year Winners Revealed

The winning villages in the 2005 Hampshire Village of the Year competition have been revealed. The competition, run by Community Action Hampshire with sponsorship provided by Calor, was launched back in February with the aim of enabling and encouraging the county’s villages to acknowledge and celebrate all that is important, challenging and valued within their communities. Over recent months, a number of shortlisted villages have been visited by competition judges who have spent time in the communities talking and listening to villagers.

Competition organiser, Anne Gibbons, stated: “It was a very close-run competition this year. The standard of entries has been excellent, and the judges have had an exacting task selecting the winning villages. They have been looking for that ‘X factor’, namely the strength of community life in a village and how it encompasses all ages and abilities, how a community copes with its problems, and what projects a community has going on or is planning for. Every year we are delighted by the strength of community life the competition highlight’s in the county’s villages, and this year is certainly no exception.”

The winners are as follows –

The overall winning village in the competition, gaining the prestigious title of 2005 Hampshire Village of the Year and £300 top prize is Grayshott. Grayshott, with a population of 1,930, is a vibrant village where residents of all ages and walks of life are encouraged to get involved in the community life. Excellent communication in the village is supported by good facilities so there is always a lot going on to satisfy all interests. Grayshott won the Hampshire Village of the Year competition in 2002 and the community has continued to build on that success with at least 27 new and thriving ventures which are well advertised and used. The ‘Buy in Grayshott’ (BIG) campaign is still going strong, and there are 40 additional organisations in the village that work alongside BIG to the benefit of the entire community. In a recent campaign the village has raised £160,000 for the refurbishment of the local school.

The overall runner up in the competition is the village of Selborne. Selborne is a small community with a population of 531. It is steeped in history but has a strong 21st century outlook. The recently refurbished village hall includes an IT suite that is used extensively by all members of the community. Selborne is strongly committed to the principles of a sustainable community and has an effective network of voluntary organisations to benefit the community. As the overall runner up, Selborne will be awarded £200.

The competition judges communities on six aspects of village life in total: Building Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, the Environment and Information Communication Technology (ICT). Competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) this year has led to the provision of an additional £500 prize fund for Hampshire’s Building Community Life section.

The winner in the Building Community Life section, receiving a £300 prize, is the village of Cheriton. A fairly small community with a population of 621, Cheriton offers a wide range of facilities, services and events for all ages. Judges found that the village has a deep sense of community spirit. The Building Community Life runner up, receiving a £200 prize, is the village of Vernham Dean. Vernham Dean is another vibrant small community with a population of 440. It has a full social life and a broad network of strong voluntary support which is available for a wide age group.

As the overall winner of the 2005 Hampshire Village of the Year competition, Grayshott will now go forward to represent the county in the prestigious national English Calor Village of the Year^® competition, with the opportunity of following in the footsteps of Sherfield on Loddon last year and gaining recognition at national level as well as a share in the £36,000 prize fund. Grayshott will be competing in the South England region of the competition against villages from Dorset, Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, Sussex (East), Sussex (West) and Oxfordshire.

Anne Gibbons concluded: “I would like to warmly congratulate all the winning villages and look forward to celebrating with the communities at the presentation event in September. I also want to wish Grayshott the best of luck in the next stage of the competition. We are sure that the village can build on its success in the 2002 national competition when it won the overall award in the Business category.”

For further information please contact Anne Gibbons on behalf of Community Action Hampshire on 023 9255 0652, email paulgibbons@downderry77.freeserve.co.uk

Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Flent PR Ltd
tel: 01223 845781 (direct) / 0161 929 4567 (main office)
email: all@flentpr.co.uk