Press Archive

Deadline Extension for Village of the Year

Villages in Oxfordshire have been given an extra month to put together an entry for this year’s Oxfordshire Village of the Year competition.

Entry forms for the competition were sent out to villages across the county during March and the original closing date for completed entries was Monday 27th June. However, in order to encourage more villages to benefit from the competition, the closing date has been extended to 26th July. Competition organiser on behalf of Oxfordshire Rural Community Council, Peter Lund, explained: “We know what a worthwhile and beneficial experience entering the competition is for communities. When villagers work together to complete their entry, it brings alive a community spirit in them that just can’t be replicated in any other activity and we want as many villages as possible to benefit from this.”

The competition is organised by Oxfordshire Rural Community Council and 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.

Peter Lund added: “Entering the competition is an opportunity for communities to celebrate what they’ve got and to say ‘well done’ to villagers who work together to help make community projects happen, whilst also possibly benefiting from some worthwhile monetary prizes along the way!”

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