Stop Press

Village Duo Go Head to Head in National Competition - North Wales

Two North Wales villages have been shortlisted in the 2009 Calor Village of the Year for Wales competition and are now set to battle it out for regional and national success.

The villages of Llanfairfechan, Conwy and Llandegla, Wrexham have been shortlisted in the North Wales region of the competition and will face further scrutiny by competition judges when they visit each village community in July.

Following the judges’ visit, one of the villages will be named the regional winner for North Wales and will then be in with a chance of gaining the overall title for Wales, competing against regional winners representing Mid and West Wales and South Wales.

The villages have been shortlisted based on written entries covering four categories: Community, Business, Sustainability, and Communications, and an explanation in less than 500 words of ‘What makes your village a special place?’ The judges’ visit will cover the same categories and the judging team will spend no more than two hours in each village, in which time they’ll be looking for proof as to why each village deserves national recognition as well as a share of the competition prize fund.

Competition manager, Holly Sims commented: “We have a great selection of villages competing in Wales this year so are really looking forward to seeing what happens during the judging process.

“With increased prize money on offer, the stakes have been raised and we know that Llanfairfechan and Llandegla will want to do as well as possible as the competition progresses.”

The competition has a boosted prize fund for 2009, totalling £15,000. Regional winners will get a prize of £2,000 with £500 for overall category winners and an additional £7,000 for the overall winner in Wales.

In 2009, Calor Village of the Year Wales is being supported by many organisations including OneVoiceWales and CPRW (Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales).

Ends

Further press information available from:  Amaze PR, Emma Flinn on 0161 817 4221/ Rebecca Jones on 0161 817 4200, email r.jones@amaze.com

Notes to editors:

Further detail ref. judging regions –

North Wales:
Gwynedd; Ynys Mon; Denbighshire; Conwy; Wrexham; and Flintshire

Mid and West Wales:
Powys; Ceredigon; Pembrokeshire; and Carmarthenshire

South Wales:
Swansea; Neath Port Talbot; Bridgend; Vale of Glamorgan; Cardiff; Rhondda Cynon Taf; Merthyr Tydfil; Caerphilly; Torfaen; Blaenau Gwent; Monmouthshire; and Newport

Calor Village of the Year®

Calor is the UK’s leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), the versatile off-mains fuel for rural communities and businesses.  For the past 22 years Calor has supported rural activities in England, Scotland and Wales through its Rural Sponsorship programme, spearheaded by the Calor Village of the Year® competition.

About the competition:
The Calor Village of the Year® for Wales competition is open to rural communities throughout Wales with a population of 5,000 or under. Entry is open to all Community Councils or other community groups if they are in line with the following criteria:

1. A ‘not for profit’ local organisation or trust set up to improve the social, economic or environmental health of the local community

2.  A strong emphasis on the involvement of local individuals or groups active within the community

3. Partnerships, networks or forums acting within a localised community

Villages are judged across four categories:  Community – a better place to live, Business – a better place to work, Sustainability – a better future, Communications – being in contact.  Villages are also asked to explain in less than 500 words: ‘What makes your village a special place?’
In each case the judges will be looking for sustainable communities that are responding to the current environmental and socio-economic challenges and which, irrespective of size, are making best use of local opportunities to enhance the quality of life for all residents. 

Prize details:
The prize money for the Calor Village of the Year® for Wales competition stands at £15,000. First prize in the Wales competition is £7,000 with £2,000 going to each of the three regional winners. In addition, there are four category prizes of £500.

Please note that Calor Village of the Year® is a registered trademark and should be referred to in full in all circumstances.

For further information:

For general information on the Calor Village of the Year® competition:
email: info@calorvillageoftheyear.org  or visit: www.calorvillageoftheyear.org

For all media enquiries relating the Calor Village of the Year® competition, please contact Emma Flinn:  email: e.flinn@amaze.com  or tel: 0161 817 4221

For all general enquiries relating to the Calor Village of the Year® competition, please contact Brian Challis:  email: b.challis@ntlworld.com, tel: 01962 629768 or visit www.calorvillageoftheyear.org

For further information on Calor and its sustainability commitment please visit:  www.calor.co.uk

Please click here to download this as a word document.