Previous Winners 2002

Ystradowen came third in the county competition last year and this year has directed its resources at the five categories of the Calor Village of the Year^® competition: community life, business, 2002.

Ystradowen came third in the county competition last year and this year has directed its resources at the five categories of the Calor Village of the Year^® competition: community life, business, older people, younger people and environment. More than 60 members of the community attended a village meeting to help plan the presentation of its entry, and many more of the 475 population have been involved in the final preparations.

Entry co-ordinator, Mrs Rosemary Ives, commented: "Ystradowen has a history of being a very pro-active community. For example, we built the village hall ourselves in the 1980s, and a small project instigated by the Women’s Institute in the late 90s grew into a £5,000 programme made possible by grants, donations and fund-raising. With the support of the villagers and help from a local architect, we were able to regenerate an area of the village and these improvements helped us reach third place in last year’s Best Kept Village competition. The judges’ comments gave us guidance on additional enhancements, which helped us be successful this year. The village has doubled in size over the past 6 years and members of the community - old and new - play their part in looking after it."

Rossett is an ancient village comprising the hamlets of Allington and Burton, situated on the outskirts of Wrexham in North Wales.

Rossett is an ancient village comprising the hamlets of Allington and Burton, situated on the outskirts of Wrexham in North Wales.

The village has an excellent communication system, operating through a regular village magazine known as ’Crossfire’ and also an extensive web site that provides villagers with an up to date calendar of events and reports from the various clubs that operate in the village. These include: the Rossett Youth Club, Wrexham Fencing Club, an art group, W.I., and uniformed youth groups.

Businesses in the village play an important role in village life, a good example of which is the local garden centre which every year provides bags of bulbs for a bulb planting day, when children from the pre-school play group, along with others, plant bulbs in the grounds of the village hall. Indeed, business in the village is thriving with the establishment of a new commercial centre which has enabled four new businesses to get established.

The village is also very active when it comes to the environment. Rossett has its own environmental group known as RECAP (Rossett Environmental Community Action Plan), the main aim of which is to promote sustainable development in the area. More importantly, the group’s work has become part of everyday life in the village through organised guided walks, cycle rides, bulb planting and the creation of a village map. The proceeds from selling framed copies of the map have been used to fund a joint environmental project with the village primary school.

Situated within the valley of the River Ritec in the scenic Pembrokeshire countryside, St. Florence is a self-contained village that has managed to achieve a unique blend of tradition and innovation.

Situated within the valley of the River Ritec in the scenic Pembrokeshire countryside, St. Florence is a self-contained village that has managed to achieve a unique blend of tradition and innovation.

The village hall is the main hub of village activity and the venue for clubs and activities including sport, crafts, computers, games, and related activities. The village hall is also home to a recently developed IT suite, with nine computers and three printers obtained from local businesses.

The IT suite in the village hall is open to villagers of any age, as is the public access IT room situated in St. Florence school. This facility has seen the establishment of evening classes for adults and a series of courses with titles such as ’Production of a Community Newsletter’ and ’Computing for the Less Terrified’.

As the name of the former course suggests, the village has its own newsletter, the ’St Florence Flyer’ that ensures villagers are kept abreast of village activity and general information. However, in the near future the village plans to increase its information circulation through its web site which is currently under construction.

The site will provide general information on village history, local clubs and the various businesses in the village such as guest houses, the garden centre and St. Florence Cheese Farm.

St Florence is this year’s winner of the IT category for Wales, in the Calor Village of the Year^® competition.

Judges’ Comments:
"Their enthusiasm and dedication is clearly evident. They have also shown a good deal of resourcefulness in gaining local information and grants: for a really tiny community - only 260 individuals - this is a remarkable achievement."

Raglan, situated near Monmouth in Gwent, is a community that offers its inhabitants a wide variety of clubs and activities and also an impressive range of services that give the village an air of self-sufficiency.

Raglan, situated near Monmouth in Gwent, is a community that offers its inhabitants a wide variety of clubs and activities and also an impressive range of services that give the village an air of self-sufficiency.

Community activities include a young farmers group, a history group, youth clubs, line dancing and a drama group for the disabled, to name but a few. Care is also taken to meet the needs of those who find it hard to get out: community nurses make regular visits to the elderly in the village and weekly grocery runs also take place.

Businesses in the village also play a vital role, many donating cash prizes for local events throughout the year. The village is agriculturally based with businesses including farm machinery suppliers and farm produce shops. As well as this, the village has a small enterprise park, encouraging local entrepreneurs to start up small businesses.

The village shop is at the heart of this community and as such, provides an impressive range of facilities as well as a meeting point for many local people. In addition to this the village has retained its own supermarket which makes regular deliveries to many of the residents in Raglan.

Llanddarog, a small village situated near Carmarthen in South Wales, is a village with a tremendous sense of community spirit, a fact particularly reflected by its impressive fundraising efforts.

Llanddarog, a small village situated near Carmarthen in South Wales, is a village with a tremendous sense of community spirit, a fact particularly reflected by its impressive fundraising efforts.

Although the village only has a small population (around 800), villagers in Llanddarog can enjoy a number of activities and events. The Llanddarog Show, for example, features show jumping and a dog show as well as a concert in the evening.

Through events such as these, the village raises money to support various internal organisations such as the school and village hall, and also to donate to other needy charities. This year, for example, the village held a fundraising evening that raised over £3,500 in aid of children suffering as a result of the Chernobyl disaster.

Another event, held to raise money in aid of meningitis research, demonstrates the important role that business plays in the community. The marquee in which the event was held was sponsored by a local businessman, and was situated in the grounds of a village guest-house, with the owner happily joining forces with other villagers to lay on the food for the event.

Facilities for both young and old within the village ensure that all age groups are catered for. For the youngsters, the school hosts an active youth club and Clwb Gofal, a voluntary after school club established to care for and entertain primary school pupils whose parents are working. For older villagers, there is a senior citizens’ housing complex and a pensioners’ association which holds regular meetings as well as organising day trips and holidays.

Llanddarog is the 2002 Calor Village of the Year for Wales, having also won the Young People category for the region.

Judges Comments
"Llanddarog is a closely knit community in which individuals and groups support one another - an inherently caring and charitable community."

Aberhafesp is a small, agriculture based community located in the Powys countryside. However, having been hit badly by the Foot and Mouth crisis, the village has reacted positively through embracing Information Technology.

Aberhafesp is a small, agriculture based community located in the Powys countryside. However, having been hit badly by the Foot and Mouth crisis, the village has reacted positively through embracing Information Technology.

A community IT centre has been created in what is essentially the hub of this small community, the village school. This facility is open to all members of the community from the school children themselves to the over 65s Luncheon Club, plus a whole host of groups and societies. The community has also linked up with the local college to provide NVQ courses in internet and email.

Local businesses, particularly those with agricultural links, now have the opportunity to use information technology to promote their products and services and assist in team diversification projects. At the time of judging, the village was planning a community website, providing information pages on all local groups, businesses and the school, as well as a volunteers page for those offering their services such as transport and home visits*.

Aberhafesp was the winner of the IT category of the 2001 Calor Gas Village of the Year Competition in Wales.

Judges Comments
"Aberhafesp is determined to look forward and improve communication for local businesses and the wider community via the use of technology".
* The village currently has a temporary website and is preparing material for the final site.