Best Kept Village

2018 Best Kept Villages Revealed

 

The judging of the 2018 Buckinghamshire Best Kept Village Competition has been completed and the results are now revealed:

 

Weedon, winner of the Gurney Cup (villages with a population of 500 and under);           Chenies runner-up

 

Padbury winner of the Morris Cup (villages with a population of 500 – 1500);

Hedgerley runner-up

 

Cheddington winner of the DeFraine Cup (villages with a population 1501 – 3000);

Wing runner-up

 

Chalfont St Giles, winner of the Pushman Cup (villages with a population over 3000);

 Haddenham runner-up

 

Wendover winner of the Michaelis Cup (small towns);

Marlow, runner-up

 

Cuddington winner of the Tindall Cup (2017 cup winners);

 Stewkley runner-up

 

Wendover has been awarded the Sword of Excellence as the best overall winner.

 

The Dashwood Trophy for the best runner-up goes to Wing

 

Wing is  also being awarded the Community Trophy

 

Richard Pushman, Chairman of the Best Kept Village Competition, comments: “Our popular Best Kept Village Competition highlights the great community activity that goes on in our lovely Buckinghamshire villages. It is a great way to recognise the contribution of many who give their time and effort to showcase and enhance their local environment. The Best Kept Village competition is not just for ‘pretty’ villages – we want to see communities where everyone makes an effort to keep their surroundings well maintained. The competition is a good opportunity for villages to celebrate all the positive aspects of life in their village and we warmly congratulate this year’s winners for their superb efforts.” The standard is higher than ever this year despite the drought conditions.

 

 

The Best Kept Village Competition is sponsored by George Browns and Buckinghamshire County Council with additional support from Milton Keynes Council and District Councils from Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern and Wycombe.

The cups will be presented in the winning villages by Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, Lord Lieutenant on Saturday 15th September.

 

Further information regarding the competition is available from the Buckinghamshire Best Kept Village Competition Administrator by email at [email protected] or by telephoning 07734 886540

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Further press information from: Clive Parker

tel:   email: [email protected]

 

Notes to Editors:

 

The Buckinghamshire Best Kept Village Competition is run independently by a committee on a not-for-profit basis. The competition has been in existence for 61 years. www.bucksvoice.net/bestkeptvillage

 

A Summary of the Best Kept Village Competition:

 

The Best Kept Village Competition is an annual competition organized by the registered charity the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) started in the early 1970’s.

Competing villages fall into one of four groups:

1. Villages that have won in the past 5 years
2. Villages of a population between 500 and 3,000
3. Villages of a population up to 500
4. Villages that are new to the competition or have not entered for 10 years.

A panel of anonymous judges, touring between May and June and conducting final judging in July and August, evaluates each village on the following criteria:

• Absence of litter and unsightly refuse dumps on verges (10 points)
• Condition of village greens, playing fields, school yards, public seats, and noticeboards (10 points)
• Condition of public and private buildings, gardens, and allotments (10 points)
• Condition of churchyards, cemeteries, and war memorials (10 points)
• Condition of public halls, sports facilities, and car parks (10 points)
• Cleanliness of public toilets, bus shelters, and telephone kiosks (10 points)
• State of footpaths, stiles, field gates, signposting, ponds, and streams (10 points)
• Condition of commercial and business premises, including advertisements and other signs (10 points)
• Initiative in the care of the environment of the village (10 points)
• Evidence of community spirit and usefulness of Village Map (10 points)

The CPRE makes it clear that the competition is designed to encourage the residents of a village to take greater pride in their surroundings, and to award the village that is best cared for rather than for the assets and beauty that it may possess.

 

Features that define a village or small town and should be present in all applications:

• Place of worship, any denomination
• Village green, playing field or recreation ground
• Community centre, village, church or assembly hall

The judges look for well kept open spaces, community facilities and evidence of community involvement.