Stop Press

Great Bentley Honoured at Calor Village of the Year® Awards Event

The village of Great Bentley has been recognised following its participation in the Calor Village of the Year® 10th Anniversary Awards. Representatives of the village attended an awards luncheon held at the Four Seasons Hotel in London on Tuesday 19th September when they were presented with a framed commemorative certificate in honour of the effort they put into taking part in the competition.

This special ‘best of the best’ event was run by Calor to celebrate the 10th year of the Calor Village of the Year® competition. All past regional winners from the competition’s nine year history in England and Wales, as well as past winners from the Calor Scottish Community of the Year competition were invited to enter, with the aim of finding one overall champion.

A total of 36 villages took part in the competition and for judging purposes they were split into seven areas covering North England, South England, West England, East England, Central England, Wales and Scotland. Great Bentley was competing in the East of England area of the competition which was won by Sutton in Cambridgeshire. The overall title and £20,000 top prize went to the Cornwall village of St Neot.

Judges commented on Great Bentley: “This is a large vibrant community led by the Parish Council. The village distributes an impressive newsletter and an informal but practical welcome is provided for all newcomers. There is a good range of activities and local sports on offer in Great Bentley, with some excellent coaching schemes. Consultation on topical issues appears to be encouraged and there is also lots of evidence of fundraising to raise money for projects as diverse as local church restoration and to help people affected by the recent difficulties in Kosovo.”

Calor’s managing director, Alex Davis, added: “Throughout the 10 years of Calor Village of the Year® many outstanding communities have been highlighted and residents of several hundred villages have worked extremely hard to put themselves forward in the competition. We felt that giving past winners the opportunity to once again showcase their communities and highlight how they’ve moved forward since their initial success was the perfect way of celebrating the 10th year of the competition. We hope that they got as much out of taking part this time as they did the first time round. Our congratulations go to all 36 villages that participated. If the standard of villages taking part remains as high in the next 10 years of the competition then it can only continue to go from strength to strength.”

For further information regarding Calor Village of the Year®, please contact Calor on 01962 629768, email info@calorvillageoftheyear.org, or visit the competition website at www.calorvillageoftheyear.org.

- ends -

Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Flent PR, a Connectpoint Company
tel: 0161 817 4200 / email: emma.flinn@connectpoint.co.uk

Calor Village of the Year® 10th Anniversary Awards – Final Results -

Overall Winner: St Neot, Cornwall

Finalists:

Participating Villages (Finalists in bold)

Notes to Editors:

Calor Village of the Year®

Calor, the leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to those living and working in the countryside, has supported rural activities in England, Scotland and Wales for 20 years through its Rural Sponsorship programme, which includes the Calor Village of the Year® for England and Wales competitions and the Calor Scottish Community of the Year competition.

The Calor Village of the Year® for England competition, now in its tenth year, was founded and developed by Calor, and is organised and funded by the company on an annual basis.

Please note that Calor Village of the Year® is a registered trademark and should be referred to in full in all circumstances.

The national Calor Village of the Year® judges look for well-balanced, pro-active, caring communities which, irrespective of size, have made the best of local opportunities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all residents.

For general information on the Calor Village of the Year® for England and Wales competitions:
email: info@calorvillageoftheyear.org, tel: 01962 629768, or visit: www.calorvillageoftheyear.org

For more information on the Calor Scottish Community of the Year competition:
visit: www.communityoftheyear.co.uk

Click here to download this press release in Word format