Helmdon Wins 2011 Best Village Competition.
Over 70 villagers eagerly gathered on Tuesday 19th July to hear the results of this year’s Northamptonshire Best Village Competition, which were announced at the Awards Evening ceremony held at the Hunsbury Hill Centre, Harksome Hill, Northampton. This Competition celebrates the community spirit and quality of life in our hundreds of villages.
The village of Helmdon was the overall winner of the competition gaining the prestigious title of the 2011 Northamptonshire Best Village. Silverstone was the runner up. Annette and Paul Hollowell, representing the competition’s sponsor B. Hollowell & Son Funeral Plans, presented representatives of the winning villages with cups and certificates.
2011 Northamptonshire Best Village Competition Overall Winner.
Photo shows (L-R) John Coatsworth & Peter Burns from Helmdon receiving the Cup and Certificate as the Overall Winner of the 2011 Northamptonshire Best Village Competition from the competition sponsors Annette & Paul Hollowell of B.Hollowell & Son Funeral Plans and David Scudamore Chair of the Competition.
The full results were as follows:-
OVERALL WINNERS
WINNER – HELMDON
Runner Up – Silverstone
Third – Crick
SMALL VILLAGES
Winner – Gayton
Runner Up – Castle Ashby
Highly Commended – Thorpe Mandeville
MEDIUM VILLAGES
Winner – Helmdon
Runner Up – Flore
Highly Commended – East Haddon
LARGE VILLAGES
Winner – Silverstone
Runner Up – Crick
Highly Commended – Roade
NEWCOMERS CUP
Winner – Roade
Runner Up – Gayton
Highly Commended – Thorpe Mandeville
2011 Northamptonshire Best Village Cup Winners.
Photo shows (L-R) David Scudamore, Chair of the Best Village Competition with cup winning villagers from Roade (Winner Newcomers Cup), Silverstone (Best Large Village),Gayton (Best Small Village)& Helmdon (Best Medium Village & Overall 2011 Best Northamptonshire Village) together with Paul & Annette Hollowell from B.Hollowell & Son Funeral Plans who sponsor the County competition.
Also presented was the Hedgehog Trophy to Newton Bromswold, the winner of the Conservation Churchyard Competition run by the Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust.
The Best Village Competition is run entirely by local volunteers and is based at Northamptonshire ACRE. The Competition looks at all aspects of village life: community and social activities, local businesses, sustainability, the provision for the younger and more senior residents as well as tidiness and the welcome visitors receive. The competition, now in the second year of its current format, was saved last year by the generous sponsorship of B. Hollowell & Son Funeral Plans.
David Scudamore, Chair of the 2011 Best Village Competition Judges, commented: Our congratulations go to every village which entered this year’s competition. We would like to thank the villages for making the judges so welcome. The judges are always amazed by how much goes on in all our villages. We found it very difficult to decide on the best villages which reflects the varied nature and the quality of life in Northamptonshire’s rural communities.
The County Organiser, Robert Herring was delighted with the 2011 competition and added: Helmdon is a very deserving winner of the competition. It is an exemplar community from the south of the County. We hope even more villages will be encouraged to enter this high profile competition next year especially those from the north of Northamptonshire which was poorly represented in this years entrants.
To encourage more new entrants in 2012 we will again be awarding the Newcomers Cup. We must thank B.Hollowell & Son Funeral Plans whose sponsorship ensures the continuation of this Northamptonshire Competition.
High Barn: Villagers, Judges and Trustees mingle after the Awards.
For further information regarding the competition in Northamptonshire, please contact Robert Herring on 01604 825884 or via email at Robert.herring@northantsacre.co.uk
