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Warwickshire's Top Villages Revealed

The county results of the 2005 Warwickshire Best Kept and Village of the Year competitions have been revealed.

The Best Kept Village and Churchyards competition attracted an impressive 120 entrants this year, many of which have been recognised with a district title or with a Gold or Silver Winners’ award. Standards were high as ever, but judges had to select the winners and the county titles have been awarded as follows: –

Best Kept Large Village

1st: Napton-on-the-Hill

2nd: Salford Priors

3rd: Wolvey

Best Kept Small Village

1st: Northend

2nd: Middleton

3rd: Long Marston

Best Kept Churchyard

1st: St Botolph, Newbold-on-Avon

2nd: St John the Baptist, Middleton

3rd: St Peter & St Paul, Butler’s Marston

The winner in the county’s Village of the Year competition has also been announced. This competition is quite different to the Best Kept event, judging communities on various aspects of rural village life from care for young and older residents to the way business is integrated into and supports the community. This year, thanks to competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), the Village of the Year competition has had an added boost of £500 prize money in the Building Community Life category. The village receiving that prize money and gaining the prestigious title of 2005 Warwickshire Village of the Year is Salford Priors.

The Best Kept and Village of the Year competitions are run by Warwickshire Rural Community Council (WRCC). Sponsorship is provided by Calor, the UK’s leading supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) with additional support from the Leamington Spa Courier and the Rugby Advertiser.

Competition organiser, Jenny Cranfield, commented: “Once again the competitions have been a great success and Warwickshire’s villages have proved themselves to be caring communities full of motivated and enthusiastic people. The competition judges have also done a wonderful job, as ever, and I would like to thank them for their support and dedication. I am very much looking forward to the presentation ceremonies coming up 24th September and 1st October when the winning villages and churchyards will have a chance to celebrate their success.”

As the county’s Village of the Year, Salford Priors has also been nominated to go forward to represent the county in the prestigious national English Calor Village of the Year^® competition. The village has the opportunity of following in the footsteps of Radway last year or Harbury in 2003 and gaining recognition at national level as well as a share in the £36,000 prize fund. Salford Priors will be competing in the Central England region of the competition against villages from Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland and Staffordshire.

Jenny Cranfield added: “We wish Salford Priors the best of luck with the next stage of the competition at national level. Warwickshire’s villages have a good track record of performing well in the competition and I am sure this year will be no exception.”

Further information regarding the competition is available from Jennifer Cranfield at WRCC, email: jennyc@wrccrural.org.uk, tel: 02476 531280

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