Wiltshire Best Kept Village Competition 2024 – First round results

Villages in Wiltshire competing to be this year’s CPRE Wiltshire Best Kept Village Competition have found out if they have taken one step closer to the prize as the results of the first round of judging have been announced.

This year’s competition started with 29 villages from around the county who were put under the microscope by the expert team of judges who are looking for criteria including tidiness, cleanliness, presentation and village community spirit.

West Dean, a few miles east of Salisbury, has been announced as this year’s ‘Best Newcomer’ and will receive a £150 cash prize.  This has been sponsored by idverde, Wiltshire Council’s grounds maintenance contractor.

“As in previous years, the parish councils and their volunteers had once again been hard at work.  Every village received praise from the judges for most if not all of the criteria being judged,” said Mike Manson from CPRE Wiltshire. He added that “Although many previous winners entered this year, none of the eventual winners in all three size categories (Large, Medium and Small) this year will have won the Competition at County level for at least the past 12 years.  This just goes to show that anyone can win with a bit of effort.  And in case you are wondering, most judges have no idea who has won recently, so this is not a fix!”.

Each village is judged within the categories of ‘Small’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Large’ and in this first round they are only judged within their own district: West Wiltshire, North Wiltshire, South Wiltshire or Kennet (East Wiltshire).

The results are:

NORTH WILTSHIRE AND SWINDON

LARGE VILLAGES               MEDIUM VILLAGES             SMALL VILLAGES

1^st   Ashton Keynes         1^st  Upper and Lower Seagry    1^st Hankerton

2^nd  Box                         2^nd Biddestone                        2^nd Charlton

3^rd  Hullavington             3^rd Great Somerford

4^th  Dauntsey

KENNET

LARGE VILLAGES              MEDIUM VILLAGES             SMALL VILLAGES

1^st Seend                          1^st  Froxfield                          No entries

2^nd Ramsbury                   2^nd All Cannings

3^rd  Bromham

4^th Rowde

WEST WILTSHIRE

LARGE VILLAGES       MEDIUM VILLAGES    SMALL VILLAGES

1^st  Staverton             1^st  Sutton Veny         1^st Tytherington

(only entrant)             2^nd  Heytesbury        2^nd Bulkington

…………………………………………3^rd  Horningsham      3^rd Knook

SOUTH WILTSHIRE

LARGE VILLAGES      MEDIUM VILLAGES   SMALL VILLAGES

1^st Alderbury             1^st Dinton                1^st West Dean

(only entrant)            (only entrant)          2^nd Stapleford

……………………………………………………………………………….3^rd Burcombe

……………………………………………………………………………….4^th Compton Chamberlayne

Each winning village will receive a certificate and in July it will be judged against the similar sized villages in the other districts, to determine the best kept large, medium and small villages in Wiltshire.

Also in July the Laurence Kitching Award will be judged.  This involves four of the six villages who won their size categories in the past two competitions (2022 and 2023) and who are therefore ineligible for the main competition.  They will receive a £200 cash prize and a plaque, sponsored by idverde.

The results of this second round will be published in August.  Award ceremonies will then be held sequentially at the four winning villages on Sunday 22^nd September when the Union Flag surmounting the winner’s shield will be pulled away and commemorative plaques will be presented. Cash prizes between £15 and £100 will be awarded to all villages in this second round.