CALOR "BEST OF THE BEST" COMPETITION RESULTS ANNOUNCED
Unfortunately, Ashover did not carry off the title "Best of the Best" in the Calor village of the year
Anniversary Competition at the awards ceremony in London on 19 September 2006. Congratulations
goes to St Neot in Cornwall as the winner.
The Parish Council wishes to thank everyone who took part and supported the parish at every stage
of this and the Village of the Year Competition 2005. The enthusiasm and commitment shown by
everyone has been truly inspiring.
Thank you again everyone for your support and for making Ashover Parish a thriving and successful
community.
Clive Baxter
Chairman
Ashover Parish Council
Cllrs Christine Brocksopp and John Wardle and Mrs Mary Wardle
receiving the "Regional Winner" Award from TV Presenter Philip Schofield
and Calor Managing Director, Alex Davies
CALOR Village of the Year for England 2005
Press Release: December 2005
CVOY Final Results/01/05
Ashover Wins Top Prize in 2005 Calor Village of the Year® for England Competition
The Derbyshire village of Ashover has been awarded the top prize in this year´s Calor Village of the
Year® for England competition.
The village´s success was revealed by guest of honour, celebrity author and broadcaster Alan
Titchmarsh, at an awards ceremony held on Tuesday 6th December in London. Ashover has beaten
off competition from a total of 40 other villages throughout England which were nominated to
represent their respective counties in this prestigious event to win the overall title of 2005 Calor
Village of the Year® for England.
The village initially carried off a regional category prize for Young People as well as the overall
regional title for Central England. In an exciting finale, Ashover was up against four other regional
winners – Audlem, Cheshire; Loddon, Norfolk; Cradley Herefordshire; and Chale, Isle of Wight for the
ultimate accolade. Representatives of Ashover were thrilled when it was finally announced that their
village had won the title for England, along with the £6,000 top prize which was in addition to the
£2,000 prize money the village had already been awarded. (For full results of the competition please
refer below).
The Calor Village of the Year® for England competition is organised and funded by Calor, the UK´s
leading supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It assesses communities on six aspects of village
life with categories in building community life, business, young people, older people, the
environment and, judged separately, information communication technology (ICT).
Alan Titchmarsh was joined by Calor´s managing director, Howard Kerr, to present representatives of
Ashover with their prizes. Alan commented: “Rural communities are an essential part of the fabric of
our country - they are the backbone of British life. It is for this reason that the Calor Village of the
Year® for England competition, which aims to support and promote village life, is such a positive
event and something which I am happy to support. The competition highlights the very best of
village life, encouraging villagers to work together to the benefit of all residents. More importantly, it
provides a forum for communities to share best practice and encourages them to address any
problems or opportunities that become apparent following their involvement in the competition.”
The competition judges look for well-balanced, pro-active, caring communities which, irrespective of
size, have made the best of local opportunities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all
residents. Ashover, which was nominated to take part in the competition by Derbyshire Rural
Community Council, is an extremely active village with a calendar of events including activities from
nearly 40 different clubs, groups and associations, and a range of events taking place throughout the
year. The variety of businesses in this village is impressive and they clearly play an important role in
community life by providing employment opportunities and supporting fund raising efforts.
The village is home to a total of seventeen farms, many of which have diversified by opening farm
shops and livery stables. A particularly interesting diversification is the provision of a mountain
boarding park which is suitable for hosting international competitions. This is also a great facility for
the village itself and young residents are encouraged to make use of it. The young people of this
village are particularly well provided for, and in a concerted effort to enable children who have
grown up in the village to remain there, the village has worked to provide low cost housing, in the
form of flats, as a solution to the problem of rising housing costs in the area.
Judges commented: “Ashover is a warm and well-rounded community. It is at ease with itself,
understanding that it doesn´t always get things right, or have all the answers - but is willing to listen
and learn.”
Calor´s managing director, Howard Kerr, commented: “Feedback from villages over the years
confirms how those entering the Calor Village of the Year® competition are amazed at the richness
of community life that is revealed as they go forward. The 2005 competition has once again
highlighted some extraordinary communities across England as well as some great examples of how
villages are working to achieve a better quality of life for residents. I would like to take this
opportunity to thank every village that has taken part this year and congratulate them on their
achievements, whether they have won a prize or not.
“The Calor Village of the Year® competition has been supporting rural communities for nine years
and many villages have benefited from taking part – either at county or national level. As the
competition reaches its 10th anniversary, we are confident that villages will continue to benefit in
the future. Thanks must also go to Alan for his continued support, which is sure to raise the profile of
the competition and spread the message to even more communities.”
For more information on the Calor Village of the Year® for England competition visit the website
(www.calorvillageoftheyear.org) or call Calor on 01926 318634.
Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Flent PR Ltd tel: 01223 845781 (direct) / 0161 817 4200
(main office) email:
[email protected]