Village of the year

In 2004 the village scooped the accolade but the hunt is on to find a challenger for their crown.

The competition, administered by Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC), is aimed at villages working hard to build communities that are inclusive and environmentally aware.

This year the stakes are even higher with an increased countywide prize of approximately £6,000.

The competition is sponsored by Calor, alongside new sponsors DEFRA, the County Health and Wellbeing and Crime and Disorder Partnerships.

The extra sponsorship means two new categories have been introduced bringing the total to eight - Building Community Life, Older People, Business, Young People, Environment, Information and Technology and the new Healthy Village and Safer Community categories.

There is also a special category for Your Villager of the Year, designed for people who sum up the spirit of the community. It could be a special resident who devotes their time to carry out unpaid work for the good of the community or someone whose example has inspired others to get more involved in village life?

Entries should include a 300-word description of the unpaid work that the nominee does within the village and why this makes such a difference to as well as personal details.

Stephen Wright, Director of GRCC said: "We are really excited to have the chance to expand the competition and the prize fund this year. However, the real emphasis of the competition is still very much on the villages and their communities. You don't have to be big, you don't have to be small, you have to be able to demonstrate that you care as a community."

Calor's communications manager Suzanne Weir urged as many of Gloucestershire's villages as possible to give the competition a go and added that she could not stress enough how positive an experience it could be for the communities taking part.

The closing date for entries is Friday, May 13. Judging will take place in June and July.