News

The final results of the inaugural Calor Village of the Year® for Wales competition have been announced at an awards ceremony held in Cardiff on Wednesday 28^th September.

A total of eight villages, four from North Wales and four from the South, had been shortlisted for prizes in the competition which is organised and funded by Calor – the UK’s leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). The competition assesses communities on six aspects of village life, with categories in Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, Environment and, judged separately, Information Communication Technology (ICT).

The village of Michaelston-y-Fedw in Newport has gained a regional category award for ICT. Claire Dixon, Clerk to the Community Council, and Chris Rowlands, Chairman of Michaelston-y-Fedw Village Hall Commitee, were presented with £500 prize money and a framed certificate in recognition of the community’s success.

Michaelston-y-Fedw was presented with its prizes by Calor’s managing director, Howard Kerr and Sir Roger Jones OBE, Chairman of the WDA. The awards ceremony was also attended by representatives of all the shortlisted villages in the competition as well as members of the Welsh Assembly, representatives of Welsh non-governmental organisations and local dignitaries. Howard Kerr commented: “2005 marks the first year that a competition has been run solely for Welsh communities. This bi-lingual competition was launched with the aim of encouraging more villages to participate and benefit from competing in what can best be described as a ‘community fitness test’, and with the added benefit of possibly sharing in the competition’s £8,500 prize fund! With a total of 79 entries, we are extremely pleased with the response we’ve had from Wales’ villages. Some excellent communities have been highlighted and I would like to congratulate, as well as thank, every village that has participated, whether they have won an award or not.”

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. In the ICT category, which is judged by UKVillages.co.uk, Michaelston-y-Fedw particularly impressed the judges with its website (www.michaelston-y-fedw.com) which is managed locally using the Simasy Web Site Management System and involves the whole community.

Ellie Stoneley of UKVillages.co.uk commented: "The local website in Michaelston-y-Fedw provides the basis for their award winning entry; it is an example of how successful an inclusive website can be. The whole community contributes, and local people take advantage of the local email service. The site is locally managed and is sustainable through sponsorship from the Community Council. Congratulations to this pro-active community and we are looking forward to seeing how ICT skills are taken up by more and more local residents over the coming months."

Howard Kerr added: “I hope that Michaelston-y-Fedw’s success will encourage even more villages to take part in the competition next year. Entering is an opportunity for villages to celebrate what they’ve got and to say ‘well done’ to residents who help to make community projects happen. We know what a great experience participating in the competition can be for villages and Calor wants as many communities as possible to benefit from working together for a common goal.”