WIckham, Hampshire

Wickham, Hampshire, has won the People category for the South England region of the 2008 Calor Village of the Year® award.

The Hampshire village of Wickham is a thriving rural community with a 13th century square at its heart and a population of approximately 2,100.

Well serviced and with a good range of community facilities, Wickham acts as a hub for its outlying rural residents and also for Knowle village, a nearby redevelopment of 600 houses on the site of a Victorian hospital.

Wickham Square is full of local businesses which serve the village community and beyond. Close to the Square there is a primary school, church, community centre, doctors’ surgery, vets, two farm shops and a petrol station.

Well serviced by shops and local business, the village also offers opportunities and support for its residents from new born to old age, thus addressing the pockets of severe social deprivation that are present within the community and works very hard to address any associated problems.

Wickham is to be praised for its Citizen of the Year Awards scheme. The Parish Council invites residents to nominate valued members of the community for the annual awards, and in 2007 the Scout and Cub leaders were nominated for the Life Time Achievement Award in recognition of their contribution to the community and Scout movement.

With excellent links between the organisations in the village, everyone works together to the benefit of the whole community. In recent years all residents have been consulted on their views through a parish plan process.

Parents and youngsters have also recently been involved in detailed consultation to improve access to sports and other activities at the village’s nearby secondary school. In addition, the Parish Council and Community Association are currently actively looking at ways to improve communication and consultation with young people.