Broughshane Wins Calor Village of the Year Award
Broughshane was today named Calor Village of the Year® 2007 at a prestigious awards ceremony at Galgorm Manor Hotel, hosted by TV personality Ben Fogel.
 The County Antrim village beat stiff competition from 16 other villages across Northern Ireland to win the coveted title and a cash prize of £5,000.
Speaking about the overall winner, Mark McClements, Sales Manager, Calor said: “Broughshane is an example of a community that has transformed itself over the years to become one of the most recognised villages in Northern Ireland.
“Presenting to the Calor Village of the Year judges, Broughshane showcased exactly what makes their village tick with members of all ages playing a fundamental role. They displayed outstanding effort, consistency and achievement in all areas from business, to communications, older people, young people, the environment and community life. There really was something for everyone and that really impressed the judges.
“As a community they have raised over £230,000 for outside charities, which is a testament to the type of community it is and the village well deserves to be named Calor Village of the Year for 2007.”
Representatives from Broughshane and District Community Association Ltd also got the chance to attend the Calor Village of the Year® awards presentation in London on 16th October 2007.
Picking up the category accolades and £1,000 cash prizes were: Belleek (Community Life), Dungiven (Business Award), Randalstown (Young People Award), Ahoghill (Older People Award), Killyfoyle (Environment Award) and Cushendal (Community Award).
Commenting on the competition and the welcome received by the judges at all the competing villages Teresa Canavan, Deputy Chief Executive, RDC said: “We visited 23 villages in total – some big, some small, some you would class as traditional village settlements. Speaking on behalf of all the judges I can say that we were overwhelmed by the welcome we received in each and every community.”
“Not only did we see and experience the beauty of rural Northern Ireland, we also met many inspirational, motivated and outright encouraging people – real ambassadors of rural life. Although there was only one overall winner we must applaud all the villages for their participation and for the great work they are doing in their respective communities.”
Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Michele Gildernew MP MLA attended the Calor Village of the Year Awards.
The Minister said: "The Calor Village of the Year awards highlight the many elements which make up rural life. The awards recognise the role of the community as a whole; the contribution of business, how different generations through young people to older people engage, the environment and how these different parts of a community communicate with one another. The awards truly recognise the multi faceted nature of rural life.
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Lasting impressions
 During the judging phase of Calor Village of the Year Northern Ireland, the judging panels visited 24 villages.
At each village, judges were met with enthusiasm, motivation, humour and above-all a caring aspect towards their community and a total determination to make it succeed.
Judges were asked to record a lasting impression of each village - you can download these comments now.
Click the image to the left, or alternatively click here to download
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