Category Winners

Greetham - Central England

Rutland village Greetham is situated to the north east of Oakham. With a population of just over 600, Greetham is classed as a small village; however, what the community offers its residents in many ways belies its size.

At the heart of the community lies the village shop, which is a well-stocked, friendly and welcoming place for all residents to visit - it even offers an area for customers to stop and chat! It is also supportive of the village as a whole: advertising charitable events, selling tickets and offering a grocery delivery service for elderly residents. A tiny, but very central, village green is also an integral part of the community. It provides an area for residents to sit comfortably in an attractive setting planted with trees and spring bulbs.

Many clubs and activities catering for all ages are on offer to residents, the majority of which make use of the villages community centre. Not only do residents take part in the activities on offer, many also volunteer their time to specific community projects or the ongoing upkeep of facilities such as the community centres play area. There is also an outstanding range of businesses in Greetham, including a number of new enterprises that have been established over more recent years providing an impressive number of jobs within the village.

Greetham offers the usual pubs, local shop and farms one might expect to find in a rural community, but the tourism and leisure sectors have also become important features of the business community and the village boasts a golf course, a garden centre and three caravan and campsites. Extremely well supported by residents, the businesses in Greetham are also keen to contribute to the community in general. In fact a very harmonious relationship exists between all parties in the village and the parish council has always had a positive attitude to local businesss planning applications, in line with their policy of supporting Greetham as a living, working village.