Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition
2022 Competition
The Committee is pleased to announce that this year's competition is underway with villages across Lancashire now welcome to enter.
Information is now provided: Forms in the Downloads Section (Judges page will have other relevant forms).
| Key Dates | ||
| Saturday, 30th April | Village Entry Deadline | |
| Monday, 25th April - 7pm | Judges Training | Barton Village Hall |
| Saturday, 21st May - 2pm | Judges Training | Hutton Village Hall |
| 1st June – 17th July | 1st Round Judging | |
| Monday, 18th June | Results to Secretary | |
| 5th August – 14th August | Secondary Judging | Finalists announced |
| 23rd / 24th August | Finals Judging | |
| Monday, 17th October - 1:30pm for 2pm | Presentation Event | Eaves Hall |
Welcome to Lancashire…
The Red Rose County situated in the North West of England, extending over 1,189 square miles from Carnforth to Ormskirk and Blackpool to Colne, with a population of 1.5 million, who inhabit its cities, towns and villages. Historic, proud and evolving; part of the country's great heritage through industry and innovation, art and its people - proud Lancastrians.
The Best Kept Village Competition, focuses on the hundreds of rural, semi-rural and industrial villages that give Lancashire its sense of history and time; villagers encouraged to take pride in the location and surroundings, to care for and take care of these many residential jewels, and to put their villages forward across many categories in this popular and inclusive annual competition.
Aims
The aims of the competition then, as now, are to encourage, through community effort and involvement, a high standard of care and maintenance in Lancashire villages and hamlets.
The competition marked its Diamond Jubilee in 2018, celebrating 60 years of 'inspiring communities to work together to make their villages a better place to live'.
The competition is open to all villages, hamlets and settlements in Lancashire. We encourage all Lancashire villages to enter and to be part of something quite special and communitarian.
Following the enforced hiatus in 2020 and a resumption in 2021 (albeit with still some caution impacting numbers involved), with life returning to normal, we are looking forward to this year's competition with entrants sought for both 'Lancashire Best Kept Village' and 'Outstanding Features' categories. We will post updates as the competition progresses.
The 2019 competition had 56 villages entering across the categories. Our 2019 overall winner was Higham as judged by John Gilmore of Radio Lancashire. Full details.
Whilst we had hoped to be able to go ahead with the 2020 competition, Government announcements and the impact of Covid-19 measures meant that we took the decision not to proceed. Happily, we were able to announce that the competition could go ahead in 2021, with entries requested by 17th April - 46 villages entered. Making the final in 2021, were the villages of Grindleton, Halsall, Pilling, Barton, Blacko, Little Eccleston, Whitechapel, Barley and Wiswell. Ralph Assheton (Sheriff of Lancashire 2020) was the overall judge. Blacko was announced as our 2021 Champion Village and overall winner. Full details of 2021 Competition HERE (PDF Download).
Our thanks to all those who enter and participate in our 'Best Kept Village Competition'. Big thanks too to our Judges, the LBKVC team and committee and our sponsors.
News: Latest
Preparations are now in hand for the 2022 Competition. There has been a further review of our Constitution, entry and judging criteria, and Judges training scheduled. Organisers now welcome entries from Lancashire villages - by 30/4/22.
Following the cancellation in 2020, the Competition resumed in 2021 with 46 villages taking part - understandably down on the usual number of entrants.
Champion Villages in 2021:
Final judged by Ralph Assheton (Sheriff of Lancashire 2020).
◆ Champion Village: Blacko
◆ Large Village: Halsall
◆ Medium Village: Barton
◆ Small Village: Whitechapel
◆ Hamlet: Barley
2021 Full Results
As ever we much appreciate all who take part and support this event, especially our Judges, Committee and sponsors. Good luck to all who take part!
In 2019 the 'Constitution of the Competition' was updated and streamlined, simplifying all paperwork used by villages and judges; the Certificate of Merit part of the competition was overhauled, replaced by a secondary competition called 'Outstanding Features' - villages entering the main competition able to nominate up to 10 Outstanding Features of their village, and certificates awarded to the best in each class.
Downloads
- Competition Entry Form 2022 (Word)
- Competition Entry Rules 2022 (PDF)
- LBKVC Constitution (PDF)
- Outstanding Features/Whole Village Mark Sheets 2022 (PDF) | (Word)
- Judges Report Form 2022 (Word)
- Results (2021) | Press Briefing (Awards Ceremony 2021)
- Results (2019) | Press Briefing (Awards Ceremony 2019)
- Results (2018) | Press Briefing (2018)
Other Information
'10 Lancashire villages that you should visit' - Lancashire Life (article)
Did you know there are regional best kept village competitions across the United Kingdom?
Our thanks to our 2021 sponsors: Lancashire Association of Local Councils (LALC); Eaves Hall Hotel at West Radford; Lancashire Life, Lancashire Live and new sponsor Barton Grange Group. We are grateful too for the support of a number of Lancashire County Councillors.