East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire

East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, has won the Environment category of the 2008 Calor Village of the Year® award for Central England.

East Bridgford is an attractive, lively and caring village of about 1,800 people, situated approximately eight miles north east of Nottingham, overlooking the Trent Valley.

A village which sets its sights high, East Bridgford offers a wide range of educational, sporting and recreational opportunities to all of its residents, from the youngest to the oldest.

The community also benefits from having an incredible range of people willing and able to contribute wholeheartedly to the life and wellbeing of the community. Residents are active, sociable, caring and thoughtful and this is what gives them a special quality of life. 

People in East Bridgford are proud of their community and are willing to take time and effort to make it better. A Parish Plan incorporated the thoughts of the village’s younger residents and questionnaires and consultation days are used to gauge the views of villagers on a regular basis.

Proud of their natural environment, East Bridgfordians have an excellent record of protecting and enhancing it. For a village of 1,800 people, voluntary contributions are highly impressive with, for example, volunteer Footpath Wardens regularly monitoring the state of East Bridgford’s paths and bridleways, and organising occasional village walks.

The village’s architectural character is preserved by much of it being designated as a conservation area, which has recently been extended.

Ten affordable homes have also recently been completed, the development of which was fostered by a village action group while pressure from the Parish Council helped to ensure a high level of energy efficiency within the development.

The enthusiasm for the protection and improvement of assets such as rights of way, children’s play equipment, trees, allotments and open spaces is very impressive, as is the community’s ability to lobby when necessary.