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Tullylish in the running for Calor Village of the Year 2008 ® Title

Co Down village Tullylish has been short listed for the prestigious Calor Village of the Year ® 2008 Competition.

Sponsored by Calor Gas, the competition is being run in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Rural Development Council (RDC), and is aimed at celebrating vibrant, enterprising and caring communities which make the most of local opportunities.

The competition features five different aspects of village life: young people, the environment, building community life, older people, and business.

Tullylish Enhancement Group has entered Tullylish in all five categories, making them eligible for the Calor Village of the Year title and £5,000 prize money. The winner of each individual category will receive £1,000.

Tullylish prides itself on its warm welcome to all visitors and excellent community relations over the years. The picturesque stone bridge over the River Bann acts as a dominant feature alongside the Parish Church. Young and old are well catered for with plenty of clubs for young people and activities for older people to enjoy.

A weekly news letter keeps everyone informed of what’s happening and newcomers receive a Church Welcome Pack. The village also hosts various annual events including the Vintage Vehicle Rally, Antique Fair, Car Boot Sale and Community Talent Contest.

Bernie Neill, Marketing Executive with Calor said, “Once again, we were highly impressed by the quality of entries into the Calor Village of the Year ® competition. The initiatives that people and collective groups have enthusiastically engaged in have helped to create valuable community spirit and build worthy pride in their village.”

Teresa Canavan, Deputy Chief Executive of the Rural Development Council said:  “RDC is delighted to partner Calor in this competition. We work with almost 400 rural community groups and we witness every day the huge input local people have in the life of their communities.

This competition will rightly recognise the contribution of those people and places to the social and economic fabric of the region.   We very much look forward to visiting each of the short listed villages, meeting all the people involved and seeing at first hand the projects they have initiated.”

The judging panel will be visiting Tullylish in September and the overall winners will be announced in October.

Villages which have qualified to proceed to the next stage include:

Co Antrim
Ahoghill
Burnside
Cushendall
Toome
Co Armagh
Bessbrook
Keady
Richill
Co Down
Tullylish
Co Fermanagh
Belleek
Brookeborough
Kinawley
Co Londonderry
Benedy
Dungiven
Claudy
Co Tyrone
Lack
Donemana

For more information on the competition visit: www.calorvillageoftheyear.org

Media Contact

Kate Thompson / Rebecca McConnell
ASG Public Relations
Tel: 028 9080 2000
Email: kthompson@asgireland.com / rmcconnell@asgireland.com

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