You can’t help but notice all the Village of the Year plaques proudly displayed on the outside of Helpston village hall. You have probably also noticed that the last one was awarded in 2001. The lack of recent awards is nothing to do with Helpston not being considered but more to do with the fact that we haven’t entered the competition for the last eight years!
Every year Cambridgeshire ACRE and Calor launch the Cambs & Peterborough Village of the Year Competition with a £1,000 first prize. Scenic beauty is not a priority (even though we have that in spades!) but more important is demonstrating the care and achievement within our community. The judges are looking for pro-active, well-balanced communities which, irrespective of size, have made the best of local opportunities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all residents. Completion of the forms is not an arduous task but one which requires care and attention – and some time. Those who have entered before have found the experience enormously beneficial and comments such as “I didn’t realise we had so much going on” are not uncommon. The competition was won in 2008 by Elton near Peterborough.
Closing date for the submission of entries is June 15th. So if you and a couple of friends are interested in undertaking this as a “project” please contact Tammy Tushingham on 01733 253770 for more details. You never know, we just might win!
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