Press Archive

2005 Derbyshire Village of the Year - Deadline Approaching

Villages throughout Derbyshire are being encouraged to get together an entry for the 2005 Derbyshire Village of the Year competition before the deadline of Saturday 30th April.

Information and entry forms went out to villages back in February and competition organiser on behalf of Derbyshire Rural Community Council, Chris Adlington, is urging villages not to leave it too late. She commented: “Thanks to competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) this year we have an extra £500 which will be distributed amongst a number of successful villages in the Building Community Life section of the competition, with a £250 first prize for one lucky village. There are also prizes available in the five other categories and for one overall winner. So I would definitely encourage the county’s villages to make the effort and enter the competition before it’s too late. After all, there are some pretty hefty monetary prizes at stake.”

The competition is sponsored by Calor, the UK’s leading supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and judges communities on six aspects of village life with categories in Building Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, the Environment and, new for 2005, Information Communications Technology.

Later in the year, one village will also have the opportunity of following in the footsteps of Elton last year and gaining recognition at national level in the prestigious English Calor Village of the Year^® competition.

Chris Adlington added: “At any level, the competition gets residents working together and encourages them to look at how everyone within the community is being provided for. Whilst the prizes are certainly one benefit of taking part, the competition is all about building and sustaining communities with pride and initiative and it gives a wonderful insight into the county’s rural life.”

Further information regarding the competition is available from Derbyshire Rural Community Council on 01629 824797, email drcc@derbysrcc.org.uk. The deadline for entries is 30th April 2005 and judging will take place during June. The winners will be announced in July, and a formal presentation event will take place during August.

Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Flent PR Ltd tel: 0161 817 4200 email: e.flinn@amaze.com