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Could your Community be the 2006 Kent Village of the Year?

All villages in Kent with a population of 5,000 and under are being called upon to take part in the 2006 Kent Village of the Year competition which is just getting underway.

The competition is organised by Action with Communities in Rural Kent and sponsored by Calor, with additional support from BBC Radio Kent, Kent Men of Trees, Kent Community Foundation, Court Royal Ltd and CPRE. 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. The competition judges communities on six aspects of village life with categories in Building Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, Environmental Action and (judged separately) Information Technology.

Villages can enter as few or as many of the categories as they wish. Cash prizes are on offer to the winners of all six categories, including £500 prize money for the winner of the Building Community Life category, which has been made available thanks to continued competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) at both county and national level. There is also a prize available for the Best Newcomer to the competition. In addition, the overall winning village will be crowned the 2006 Kent Village of the Year and will have the added honour of being nominated to go forward and represent their county in the prestigious Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition, with the opportunity of gaining recognition at national level as well as a share of the £36,000 prize fund.

Competition organiser on behalf of Action with Communities in Rural Kent, Ruth Pascoe, commented: “This is not a competition about perfect villages – it’s about communities working hard to make life for residents as good as it can be, in whatever ways possible. If you enter your community you will have the opportunity to highlight and celebrate what has been achieved in your village, both within the community and to a wider audience. Getting together for an activity such as this can also be a great way of reinvigorating the community, and may even prompt you to look at ways in which your community can be further enhanced. I can’t stress enough what a positive activity entering the competition can be, and I want as many villages to benefit as possible.”

Entries to the competition are invited from all villages in Kent with a population of less than 5,000. Entry forms can be requested from Action with Communities in Rural Kent online at www.ruralkent.org.uk, by email at info@ruralkent.org.uk, or by telephoning 01303 850816. The deadline for entries is 31st March with judging taking place during April, May and June. The winners will be announced at an awards evening in September.

Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Amaze plc
tel: 01223 845781 (direct) / 0161 817 4200 (main office)
email: e.flinn@amaze.com

Notes to Editors:

For more information on Action with Communities in Rural Kent visit www.ruralkent.org.uk

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.

Entry to the Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition is through the existing county competition network.

Following competition support in 2005, Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is once again providing Calor with additional funding in 2006 to enhance the community life element of the competition through the Building Community Life category. Defra’s special aim is to encourage the inclusion of all groups and individuals into the fabric of rural community life - building cohesive and mutually supportive communities. Defra’s involvement means that every village in England has the opportunity to enter the 2006 Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition.

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.

The prize money for the national Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition alone stands at over £36,000. First prize is £6,000 with £1,500 going to each of five regional winners. In addition, there are five category prizes of £500 within each region (covering Business, Environment, Care for Older People, Care for Young People and Information Communications Technology), and a prize of £750 for the winner of the Building Community Life category in each of the five regions. The five regional winners of the Information Communication Technology category are judged to find an overall winner, the award for which is £1,000. There is also, thanks to the Defra support, a prize of £2,000 for an overall Building Community Life winner, which is selected from the five regional winners.

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

For more information on Defra:

visit: www.defra.gov.uk or for information specific to rural affairs visit: www.defra.gov.uk/rural/default.htm