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Loddon
Regional Title for Loddon in 2005 Calor Village of the Year^® for England Competition

The Norfolk village of Loddon has won a regional title in this year’s Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition.

The village’s success was revealed by guest of honour, celebrity author and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh, at an awards ceremony held on Tuesday 6th December in London. Loddon was competing against a total of 40 other villages throughout England which were nominated to represent their respective counties in this prestigious event.

The village beat off competition from villages representing Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Suffolk to win the title of 2005 Calor Village of the Year^® for East England and £1,500 prize money. Finally, in an exciting finale, the village 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 Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition is organised and funded by Calor, the UK’s leading supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It assesses communities on six aspects of village life with categories in building community life, business, young people, older people, the environment and, judged separately, information communication technology (ICT).

Alan Titchmarsh was joined by Calor’s managing director, Howard Kerr, to present representatives of Loddon with their prizes. 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.”

The competition 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. Loddon, which was nominated to take part in the competition by Norfolk County Council, is made up of a diverse range of ages and backgrounds – young families, older people, some new to the village and some born locally. However, what they all have in common is the strong belief that the village of Loddon is a friendly place to live in with a good community spirit. There are over 60 clubs, groups and societies in the village, all of which work well together to achieve successful larger events such as a carnival and fete, which was enjoyed by over 2,000 local people. The entire community worked with the parish council to raise £75,000 to install a new children’s playground in the village. Residents have also worked together over the last three years to raise £80,000 through a variety of events for the refurbishment of the church tower, clock and bells. An ongoing project in Loddon is the establishment of a ‘Secret Garden’, an educational, conservation and amenity area in the village. Working on this project has brought together a wide range of groups in Loddon, from local businesses and schoolchildren to the British Legion and army cadets and, once completed, will be a true testament to the community spirit present in the village.

Judges commented: “Loddon is a well looked after village with much car taken to make provision for everyone and to support and include the more vulnerable members of the community. Everything in the village has a feeling of quality about it, from the excellent facilities to the support services and information channels.”

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.

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