Calor Village of the Year® Winners

Follow the links below to find out all about the latest winners of the Calor Village of the Year® competitions:

2006 - Calor Scottish Community of the Year® Winner, New Deer Community Association
2006 - Calor Village of the Year® for Wales Winner, St Dogmaels
2006 - Calor Village of the Year®10th Anniversary Winner, St Neot
2005 - Calor Village of the Year® for England Winner, Ashover

New Deer Community Association has been named Calor Scottish Community of the Year 2006.

The Minister for Communities, Malcolm Chisholm MSP, announced the community’s success at a ceremony held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 21st November.

New Deer Community Association showed fighting spirit when faced with the closure of their local bank by successfully purchasing the threatened building and selling it onto a competitor bank.

The association secured the overall title through its continued efforts to improve the area for others. Undertaking a strategic planning exercise, it has developed a local play park and path network and other facilities to meet the needs of young and old in this rural community.

In addition to winning the overall title of Calor Scottish Community of the Year, New Deer Community Association was also commended in the business category.

In total nineteen shortlisted communities attended the annual event, which this year attracted more than one hundred entries from communities spanning the length and breadth of Scotland.

Now in its ninth year, the awards encompass every aspect of Scottish community life, providing community groups with the opportunity to gain recognition and reward for their efforts. Their aim is to stimulate local people of all ages to take responsibility for their community and enhance it to everyone’s benefit.

In determining the outcome of the awards, the judges sought the best practises within communities, which could be used as examples throughout Scotland.

Presenting the awards, Communities Minster, Malcolm Chisholm MSP said:

“The Executive is committed to improving communities throughout Scotland and making them better places to live for the people who live in them.

“The selfless commitment of those people and groups that are represented in these awards helps make a difference. I am delighted to be presenting these awards to give them recognition and to celebrate their efforts on behalf of the Executive and on behalf of the people whose daily lives are made better by their efforts.”

Commenting on New Deer’s success, Hamish Husband, Calor Scottish Community of the Year Manager said: “New Deer is a fantastic example of a close knit community. The association is both proactive and innovative. The sense of community spirit was apparent to all the judges when they visited. They are deserved winners.”

The awards are organised by Calor Scotland in association with Communities Scotland and supported by the Association of Scottish Community Councils (ASCC), The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Business in the Community (SBC).
Since launching the awards in 1998, they have been entered by more than a third of all Scottish communities from the Borders to Shetland, as well as all the country’s major urban areas.

The categories within the awards are: environment, business, communications and people. Judging the awards were representatives of Communities Scotland, the Scottish Protection Agency (SEPA), the Association of Scottish Community Councils (ASCC), Scottish Business in the Community and a Community Council Support Officer.

The village of St Dogmaels in Pembrokeshire is celebrating after winning the top award in this year’s Calor Village of the Year® for Wales competition.

The full results of the competition were revealed at an awards ceremony held in Cardiff on Tuesday 31st October. A total of 16 villages, eight from North Wales and eight from the South, had been shortlisted for prizes in the competition.

St Dogmaels initially carried off a regional category award for Business and was then revealed as the overall winner for South Wales. In a nail-biting finale, the village was up against the North Wales winner – Trefriw, Conwy, for the overall title.

Representatives of St Dogmaels were presented with their awards – prize money totaling £2,500 and commemorative plaque / certificates, by Garry Stamp, Calor’s regional sales manager, and Peter Davies, coordinator of the Prince of Wales charities in the Principality. The awards ceremony was attended by representatives of all the shortlisted villages in the competition as well as members of the Welsh Assembly, representatives of Welsh non-governmental organisations and local dignitaries.

The competition 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. St Dogmaels enjoyed success in last year’s competition, gaining an impressive three regional category awards, but this year, judges felt that the community deserved the overall title,

“Is there anything this village doesn't or can't do?" read the judges report. "Not that the first impression of St Dogmaels is one of frantic activity. Rather, it appears relaxed, serene, confident and self-assured. But behind this idyllic scene is a dynamic community machine."

To do justice to all the activities taking place in and around the village hall would be the equivalent of a full-time job. Add to this the women's refuge, the annual arts festival, the IT suite, the comprehensive support programme for young and old, the environmental projects and paths, the superb coachhouse project and the website and you have a village community which is not only a model for every other in the UK but probably the envy of all as well.”

Suzanne Weir, competition manager, added: “Our congratulations go to all the villages that have taken part in this year’s competition, whether they have won an award or not. We hope that they will be encouraged to try again next year and that many more Welsh communities that have not yet taken part in the competition will do so in 2007.”

For more information on the winners visit www.calorvillageoftheyear.org. Villages wishing to take part in the 2007 competition can register their interest now by emailing info@calorvillageoftheyear.org or telephoning 01926 318634 with the name of the village, the name of the contact person, telephone number and email address.

St Neot in Cornwall is the overall winner of the Calor Village of the Year 'best of the best competition'. Home to just 400 people, the village can be proud of the seamless integration between its newcomers and long-term residents.

As a community, St Neot undertake and complete a remarkable amount of major projects. Even since winning the England competition in 2004 the fundraising has not stopped - and there are even foundations laid for the village's next bout of projects.

The local Parish Council has a strong, long-term vision, and works hand-in-hand with every part of the community to bring ideas to life. Problems are treated as challenges, an attitude judges describe as "a source of inspiration to any rural community".

Judges refer to St Neot as having "a rich fabric of life". As well as the community involvement there are a host of well-supported organisations providing varied entertainment for villagers.

The local Parish Council positively encourages new businesses, especially in existing buildings, as well as home-based businesses.

Meanwhile the village's Big Business Breakfast initiative helped the Parish Council obtain a £7000 grant, which has been put to good use in creating a parish web site and business directory. Nearly 100 businesses, including 20 tourist accomodation firms, have so far taken advantage of the facility.

The new local produce market is also proving a great success.

In spite of St Neot's size, young people are well catered for, and they are encouraged to play an active role in community activities.

In addition to all the facilities already available to younger generations in St Neot, a new cricket ground has been developed. This development has encouraged the establishment of two youth cricket teams, who can train alongside the men’s and ladies’ senior teams.

St Neot is very considerate towards older people - those who visit the area as well as those who are permanent residents.

The village is very accessible for older generations, with good paths, seating areas, wheelchair and lift access to the Village Hall and Pavillion just some of the provisions in place. Older people also now benefit from a hearing-loop in the Church and the Village Hall.

When current major projects are completed, older residents can look forward to even easier access to all public facilities.

The village shows great concern for the upkeep of its environment. The Doorstep Green is maturing into an outstanding village amenity area and has recently been enhanced further by the addition of an outdoor BBQ area, chessboard, and sculpture of St Neot. The green also has a new footpath and wheelchair route from the top of the village, making it accessible to all.

The amphitheatre is looked after by 18 volunteers who are each pledging 5 hours to maintaining it - which augurs well for its continuing attractiveness. St Neot also shows active concern for the Goonzion Downs and the river area, underlining the community's desire to maintain its local features.

The St Neot website launched in 2005 and is used to promote local businesses, attract tourists and help visitors and former residents to keep in touch. The attractive site is updated on a regular basis, with maintenance carried out by a team of volunteers.

The local scout group has been presented with a computer to help them obtain their ICT badges, and ICT courses have been available to those requiring them. Next door to the scout hut, a new parish archive is to be set up, material for which will be collected with the help of a laptop purchased with some of the Calor Village of the Year 2004® prize money.

The Derbyshire village of Ashover has been awarded the top prize in this year’s Calor Village of the Year® for England competition.

The village’s success was revealed by guest of honour, celebrity author and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh, at an awards ceremony held on Tuesday 6th December in London. Ashover has beaten off competition from a total of 40 other villages throughout England which were nominated to represent their respective counties in this prestigious event to win the overall title of 2005 Calor Village of the Year® for England.

The village initially carried off a regional category prize for Young People as well as the overall regional title for Central England. In an exciting finale, Ashover was up against four other regional winners – Audlem, Cheshire; Loddon, Norfolk; Cradley Herefordshire; and Chale, Isle of Wight for the ultimate accolade. Representatives of Ashover were thrilled when it was finally announced that their village had won the title for England, along with the £6,000 top prize which was in addition to the £2,000 prize money the village had already been awarded.

The Calor Village of the Year® for England competition is organised and funded by Calor, the UK’s leading supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It assesses communities on six aspects of village life with categories in building community life, business, young people, older people, the environment and, judged separately, information communication technology (ICT).

Alan Titchmarsh was joined by Calor’s managing director, Howard Kerr, to present representatives of Ashover with their prizes. Alan commented: “Rural communities are an essential part of the fabric of our country - they are the backbone of British life. It is for this reason that the Calor Village of the Year® for England competition, which aims to support and promote village life, is such a positive event and something which I am happy to support. The competition highlights the very best of village life, encouraging villagers to work together to the benefit of all residents. More importantly, it provides a forum for communities to share best practice and encourages them to address any problems or opportunities that become apparent following their involvement in the competition.”

The competition 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. Ashover, which was nominated to take part in the competition by Derbyshire Rural Community Council, is an extremely active village with a calendar of events including activities from nearly 40 different clubs, groups and associations, and a range of events taking place throughout the year. The variety of businesses in this village is impressive and they clearly play an important role in community life by providing employment opportunities and supporting fund raising efforts. The village is home to a total of seventeen farms, many of which have diversified by opening farm shops and livery stables.

A particularly interesting diversification is the provision of a mountain boarding park which is suitable for hosting international competitions. This is also a great facility for the village itself and young residents are encouraged to make use of it. The young people of this village are particularly well provided for, and in a concerted effort to enable children who have grown up in the village to remain there, the village has worked to provide low cost housing, in the form of flats, as a solution to the problem of rising housing costs in the area.

Judges commented: “Ashover is a warm and well-rounded community. It is at ease with itself, understanding that it doesn’t always get things right, or have all the answers - but is willing to listen and learn.”

Calor’s managing director, Howard Kerr, commented: “Feedback from villages over the years confirms how those entering the Calor Village of the Year® competition are amazed at the richness of community life that is revealed as they go forward. The 2005 competition has once again highlighted some extraordinary communities across England as well as some great examples of how villages are working to achieve a better quality of life for residents. I would like to take this opportunity to thank every village that has taken part this year and congratulate them on their achievements, whether they have won a prize or not.

“The Calor Village of the Year® competition has been supporting rural communities for nine years and many villages have benefited from taking part – either at county or national level. As the competition reaches its 10th anniversary, we are confident that villages will continue to benefit in the future. Thanks must also go to Alan for his continued support, which is sure to raise the profile of the competition and spread the message to even more communities."