Press Archive

Oxfordshire Villages Prepare for Judging

A total of 44 villages are in line for prizes in this year’s Best Kept Village competition in Oxfordshire and competition judges have already made their first round of visits.

The competition judges communities on overall tidiness and cleanliness, how well the community facilities are kept and on the condition of both private gardens and any public planting. It has been running in Oxfordshire for nearly 50 years and has become a regular activity for many villages in the county who enjoy the enhanced community spirit working towards a common competitive cause can bring about.

Competition organiser on behalf of Oxfordshire Rural Community Council, Peter Lund, commented: “We are pleased with the response we’ve had to the competition and, as usual, the villages that have entered are of a very high standard. I do not envy the judges their task and would like them for their hard work and dedication.”

For judging purposes, villages are split into four classes: Small, Medium, Large and Past Winners. There is also an award for the best new entry. Villages that have entered the 2005 competition are as follows -

Small Villages:

Wootton, Cassington, Ardington & Lockinge, Fulbrook, Horton-cum-Studley, Hornton, Longcot, Kingham, Great Milton, Filkins & Broughton Poggs, Duns Tew, Crawley, Clifton Hampden and Burcot, Milcombe and Churchill.

Medium Villages:

Burford, Cropredy, East Hendred, Freeland, Clanfield, Tackley and Steventon.

Large Villages:

Drayton, Radley, Blewbury, Bloxham, Deddington, Woodcote, Berinsfield, Harwell, Aston and Cote, Sutton Courtenay, Kennington, Stanford-in-the-Vale, Chalgrove and Marcham.

Past Winners:

Horspath, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Stratton Audley and East Hagbourne.
Three villages are in line for the best new entry award: Tackley, Drayton St Leonard and Ramsden.

Villages are also reminded that the deadline for entries to the Oxfordshire Village of the Year competition isn’t until 27th June, so there is still plenty of time to prepare and submit an entry. Peter Lund added: “This competition is very different to the Best Kept competition. It’s all about community – what’s being done to benefit residents in six key aspects of village life. Categories cover Building Community Life, Business, Older People, Young People, the Environment and Information Communications Technology (ICT). We’ve had a positive response so far, but I really want as many villages as possible to benefit from the experience of taking part. Completing an entry can best be described as carrying out a community health check.”

The competitions are sponsored by Calor, the UK’s leading supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Thanks to competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) this year, there is extra prize money available to villages entering the Oxfordshire Village of the Year competition. Defra is providing additional funding in 2005 at both county and national level to enhance the newly established Building Community Life category, leading to the availability of a £500 prize fund for that section of the county competition.

There is also a prize of £250 for the overall winner of the competition, which in addition will have the opportunity to go forward and gain recognition at national level in the English Calor Village of the Year^® competition, which this year has a prize fund of over £36,000 and a top prize of £6,000.

A presentation event for the winners of both the Best Kept and Village of the Year competitions will be held later in the year. For further information, please contact Peter Lund on 01865 248966, or email peter.g.lund@btinternet.com

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