Wiltshire Best Kept Village Competition 2023 – First round results

Villages in Wiltshire competing to be this year’s CPRE Wiltshire and CCm Technologies Best Kept Village Competition in the county 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.

Hannington, near Highworth in North Wiltshire, has been announced as this year’s ‘Best Newcomer’ and will receive a £150 cash prize.

Pawel Kisielewski, CEO of CCm Technologies, said: “CCm is all about making the environment a better place and salutes the achievement of villages across Wiltshire in being recognised at this stage of the competition.”

“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 “several villages that had not been highly placed last year had done much better this year” and that “in several categories there were just a few total points between first and last”.

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   Hullavington                1^st   Biddestone                       1^st  Tockenham

2^nd  Ashton Keynes           2^nd  Upper and Lower Seagry  2^nd Charlton

3^rd  Box                            3^rd  Great Somerford               3^rd  Hankerton

4^th  Blunsdon                    4^th  Dauntsey                          4^th  Hannington

KENNET

LARGE VILLAGES              MEDIUM VILLAGES                SMALL VILLAGES

1^st  Bromham                    1^st  Urchfont                            No entries

2^nd Rowde                       2^nd All Cannings

3^rd  Seend

WEST WILTSHIRE

LARGE VILLAGES              MEDIUM VILLAGES              SMALL VILLAGES

1^st  Bratton                       1^st  Sutton Veny                     1^st Tytherington

2^nd Hilperton                    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  Burcombe

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

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 (2021 and 2022) and who are therefore ineligible for the main competition.

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 24^th September when the Union Flag surmounting the winner’s shield will be pulled away and commemorative plaques will be presented. Cash prizes between £30 and £200 will be awarded to all villages in this second round.