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Take the Opportunity to Celebrate your Community

If you live in a thriving, active and inclusive village or hamlet and you want a chance to celebrate your community you should consider entering the 2006 Calor Oxfordshire Villages of the Year competition, which is just getting underway.

The competition, organised by Oxfordshire Rural Community Council and sponsored by Calor, has taken on a new look for 2006. The ever-popular Best Kept Village competition, which regularly attracts entries from large numbers of Oxfordshire’s villages, has been incorporated into the Calor Oxfordshire Villages of the Year competition, leading to the launch this year of a Best Kept Village Environment Award. The competition will be judging communities on seven aspects of village life in total and the other six categories cover Building Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, Affordable Housing and Information Communication Technology (ICT).

All villages are eligible to enter the Oxfordshire Villages of the Year competition and entries are invited from any community organisation. Prizes will be on offer to the winning villages, including £250 from Oxfordshire Rural Housing Partnership, and £500 prize money specifically for 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. The winner of the Best Kept Village Environment Award will also be presented with the traditional Marlborough Trophy (presented to the Best Kept Village winner in previous years).

In addition, the overall winning village of the 2006 Oxfordshire Villages of the Year competition will have the added honour of being nominated to go forward and represent the 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 organisers on behalf of Oxfordshire Rural Community Council commented: “Healthy, vibrant, well-rounded villages take care of their community as well as their environment – that is why we have incorporated the Best Kept competition into the Calor Oxfordshire Villages of the Year competition. This competition enables and encourages the county’s villages and hamlets to acknowledge and celebrate all that is important, challenging and valued within their communities. It is not difficult to enter and can often be a very valuable experience for the villages taking part – spreading news ideas and good practice. It’s about communities making the best of what they’ve got for all residents as well as visitors.”

Entries to the competition are invited from all villages and hamlets in Oxfordshire. Villages wishing to enter the Best Kept Environment Award must also enter the competition’s other six categories; however, entry to the Best Kept Environment Award is not compulsory. For further information regarding the competition and entry forms, please contact Oxfordshire Rural Community Council on 01865 883488, email orcc@oxonrcc.org.uk. The deadline for entries is June 30th with judging taking place during July and August. The winners will be announced at an awards event later in the year.

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:

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