Newton le Willows, Yorkshire

Newton le Willows Celebrates Regional Success
Village wins through for North England in national competition

Villagers in Newton le Willows, Yorkshire are celebrating after it’s been revealed that their community has won through in the regional heats of the 2009/10 Calor Village of the Year competition, gaining the overall title for North England.

Newton le Willows was up against five other villages, all of which had been nominated to represent their counties in this prestigious event. Its success follows a recent judging visit during which judges were shown just what Newton le Willows has to offer, with the community being showcased across four key areas: Community – a better place to live, Business – a better place to work, Sustainability – a better future, and Communications – being in contact.

In addition to the overall regional title, Newton le Willows has also triumphed in the Sustainability category for North England.

With £2,000 prize money under its belt to date, the village now has a few weeks to wait before finding out if it can add at least another £7,000 to that total – as the regional judging teams come together to debate which of the regional overall and category winners deserve a national award.

Newton le Willows is up against Goring on Thames, Oxfordshire (winner for South England); Swanton Morley, Norfolk (winner for East England); Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire (winner for West England); and Bonsall, Derbyshire (winner for Central England) for the title of Calor Village of the Year for England.

The national category award for Sustainability is being contested by Goring on Thames, Oxfordshire; Potten End, Hertfordshire; Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire; and Tilton on the Hill, Leicestershire along with Newton le Willows.

Calor Village of the Year manager Holly Sims comments: “Congratulations to Newton le Willows – our North England winner. Winning a regional title in this competition is a fantastic achievement and villagers should be very proud.

“I’m sure the community will be on tenterhooks over the next few weeks before the national winners are revealed. We very much look forward to hearing the outcome and wish Newton le Willows the best of luck.”

Details of the national winners will be revealed on 24 November.

The full regional results for North England are as follows –

First prize in the Calor Village of the Year for England 2009/10 competition is £7,000 with £2,000 going to each of five regional winners. In addition, there are four national category prizes of £500.