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Winning Villages in Northumberland Building Community Life Competition Revealed

The winning villages in the 2005 Calor Building Community Life competition in Northumberland have been revealed.

The competition was launched by the Community Council of Northumberland during the summer following support for the Calor Building Community Life competition from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). Defra has provided funding in 2005 at both county and national level to enhance the newly established Building Community Life category. Villages responded well to the competition and a total of six communities went through the judging process - Gunnerton, Heddon on the Wall, Horsley, Norham, Ovingham and Wingates. They were judged on many different aspects of their community life, from the organised schemes available to provide advice and support for people in need, to the way new residents are welcomed into village life.

The judges were impressed by the standard of the entries received, particularly because the majority of the entries came from very small communities. However, after a good amount of deliberation it was decided that the village of Wingates should be awarded the first prize of £350. Wingates is a small settlement of 138 residents located within the Nunnykirk Parish. Judges were impressed by the village because of the wide range of community schemes available to support residents. These include car pooling and transport co-ordination to ensure all residents are mobile; a rota for newspaper collection from a neighbouring village; and a babysitting/child care co-operative just to name a few. Wingates resident, Linda Wilson, commented: “As a small, isolated rural community, we can’t rely on the facilities and services that are more readily available to villages in other areas. Therefore, it’s very much the residents of Wingates that make it what it is. It never ceases to amaze me just how friendly everyone is and their enthusiasm for the wide range of social activities is fantastic."

The second prize of £200 goes to the village of Norham, situated in the Berwick District of the county with a population of 300. Judges were impressed by the large number of both recreational and educational activities available in the village hall, church and school. Douglas Ewart of Norham commented on the village’s success: “We are extremely pleased and proud that Norham has been recognised as the vibrant community we know it is. There is always lots going on in the village and the village hall is in use every day by a variety of groups. We are working hard at the moment to raise funds to help with the refurbishment of the village hall so that it can be used even more and the £200 prize money will hopefully go some way towards completing the project.”

In third place, receiving a prize of £100, is the village of Horsley, a community of 328 residents situated in the Tyne Valley area of Northumberland. This village illustrated numerous good practice initiatives in its entry, from the production of parish information leaflets, to encouraging open access to parish meetings for all residents. Horsley resident Elizabeth Bramwell commented: “Our village is currently undergoing a lot of change – having been very much an agricultural village in the past, it’s now becoming more of a commuter village. Therefore, we are working hard to alter the community accordingly and find ways of integrating new residents and welcoming them to the village. Having lost our school and shop, it is now up to us to find new ways of ensuring a sense of community is very much alive in the village.”

As the winner, Wingates also has the added honour of being nominated to go forward and represent Northumberland in the prestigious national English Calor Village of the Year^® competition, with the opportunity of gaining recognition at national level as well as a share in the £36,000 prize fund. Wingates is competing in the North England region of the competition against villages from Cheshire, Cumbria, Durham, Humber & Wolds, Lancashire, North Lincolnshire, Redcar & Cleveland, Tees Valley and Yorkshire. The Calor Village of the Year^® competition judges communities on a total of six aspects of rural village life, one of which is Building Community Life. The other five categories cover Business, Young People, Older People, the Environment and, judged separately, Information Communication Technology (ICT). Wingates is competing in all categories except ICT and has until the end of September to send in its entry. The village will then be visited by the North England judging team during October.

Competition organiser on behalf of Northumberland Community Council, Alan Hedley, commented: “We would like to thank all of the villages that participated in the competition this year and our congratulations go to the three winners. We would also like to wish Wingates the best of luck with the next stage of the competition. We’re sure the village has got what it takes to do well at national level and look forward to finding out how it has done at the Calor Village of the Year^® for England awards ceremony in December.”

The winning villages in the Northumberland Calor Building Community Life competition will be presented with their prizes at the Community Council’s AGM which is being held on Wednesday 9th November at the Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth. For further information please contact Alan Hedley at the Community Council on 01670 517178 or email alanhedley@ccn.org.uk

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