Press Archive

Cradley

Building Community Life before being announced as the 2005 Calor Village of the Year^® for West England, beating off competition from villages representing Avonside, Devon, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Somerset, Wiltshire and Worcestershire to gain the regional title. Finally, in an exciting finale, the village also narrowly missed out on the overall title of 2005 Calor Village of the Year^® for England and £6,000 top prize, which instead went to Derbyshire village, Ashover.

The Defra Building Community Life category of the competition was launched by Calor this year, with the support of Defra, in order to enhance the community life element of the competition. By supporting the competition, Defra wants communities to recognise the most fundamental quality which determines whether a village operates successfully as a community - that is how it ensures the inclusion of all groups or individuals, particularly the most vulnerable, in a cohesive and mutually supporting community. Minister for Rural Affairs, Jim Knight congratulated this years winners of the Building Community Life Award and praised the efforts of all those involved saying:

"For me the Defra Building Community Life category of the competition is about maintaining and supporting vibrant and self-sustaining rural communities in villages and market towns, particularly focusing on inclusion
of people outside the mainstream. Rural communities have the same essential needs as urban communities but geography dictates that we may require imaginative and innovative delivery solutions."

He went on to say:

"The judges of the Building Community Life Award looked 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."

Celebrity author and broadcaster, Alan Titchmarsh, was the guest of honour at the awards luncheon. He was joined by Calor’s managing director, Howard Kerr, to present representatives of Cradley with their awards, which included prize money totalling £2,250. Alan commented: “Rural communities are an essential part of the fabric of our country - they are the backbone of British life. It is for this reason that the Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition, which aims to support and promote village life, is such a positive event and something which I am happy to support. The competition highlights the very best of village life, encouraging villagers to work together to the benefit of all residents. More importantly, it provides a forum for communities to share best practice and encourages them to address any problems or opportunities that become apparent following their involvement in the competition.”

Cradley, which was nominated to take part in the competition by Community First in Herefordshire & Worcestershire, is a beautiful village benefiting from a new school and recently refurbished 15th century village hall. There are strong links between the school and the residents as evidenced by the fundraising in order to finance the building of the new school. Despite the setback of a fire in the village hall, renovations have been completed and the hall has been extended with a resources centre and improved accessibility, making it a warm and welcoming space. There are good links between older residents and the young people with examples of older people accessing school computers for training and all age groups taking part in the village pantomime. Overall the judges were impressed that Cradley was looking to the future with confidence and had within the village the talents to make it a truly sustainable community.

Calor’s managing director, Howard Kerr, commented: “Feedback from villages over the years confirms how those entering the Calor Village of the Year^® competition are amazed at the richness of community life that is revealed as they go forward. The 2005 competition has once again highlighted some extraordinary communities across England as well as some great examples of how villages are working to achieve a better quality of life for residents. I would like to take this opportunity to thank every village that has taken part this year and congratulate them on their achievements, whether they have won a prize or not.

“The Calor Village of the Year^® competition has been supporting rural communities for nine years and many villages have benefited from taking part – either at county or national level. As the competition reaches its 10th anniversary, we are confident that villages will continue to benefit in the future. Thanks must also go to Alan for his continued support, which is sure to raise the profile of the competition and spread the message to even more communities.”

For more information on the Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition visit the website (www.calorvillageoftheyear.org) or call Calor on 01962 629768. For more information on Defra visit: www.defra.gov.uk or for information specific to rural affairs visit: www.defra.gov.uk/rural/default.htm

Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Flent PR Ltd
tel: 01223 845781 (direct) / 0161 817 4200 (main office)
email: emma.flinn@connectpoint.co.uk