Category Winners

Grayshott - Southern and South East England

Grayshott, near Haslemere in Hampshire, achieves a unique mix of business and community, resulting in a bustling and lively village.

The village offers inhabitants of all ages a variety of clubs and activities, including playgroups, creches, amateur dramatics, indoor bowls and quiz evenings, as well as arts and crafts groups, a photographic society and a village archives group.

Grayshott also ensures that the needs of villagers are met in terms of the facilities available within the village. One of the ways in which this is achieved is the "Buy in Grayshott" (BIG) campaign that is supported by nearly all the businesses and organisations in Grayshott. At regular meetings, members of the community (of all ages) have their say as to what local services they need, and businesses in the village can adapt to meet these needs. The minimal number of retail spaces that remain empty is testament to the schemes success.

Local businesses also support the various community events that take place within the village, such as the Jubilee picnic, and provide funding for various schemes, such as the creation of a village sign to commemorate the Millennium. As well as financial donations, businesses in the village also provide employment, with the villages health farm and pottery together employing over 500 people.

Grayshott won the 2002 Business in the Community (BITC) award as overall winner of the business category in the Calor Village of the Year^® competition, following its success in the business category for Southern and South East England.

Judges Comments
"Grayshott illustrates that a village does not need large scale funding or complex organisations to get things done. There is a very entrepreneurial approach which has real business benefits."