Who will be crowned Wiltshire's Best Kept Village?
Competition back after the pandemic forced the cancellation last year
Last updated 20th May 2021
Judging is underway to find Wiltshire's Best Kept Village competition.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England run the competition which is now in its 62nd year.
The countryside charity explain what they're looking for;
"The competition seeks to find the villages that are best looked after by their inhabitants and where community spirit is strong. It is not aimed at finding the prettiest villages but rather those where villagers make the best of their surroundings."
28 villages have entered including Dinton, Tilshead, Whiteparish, Maiden Bradley and Sutton Veny.
Three winners will be selcted for large, medium and small villages.
The winning villages will be given an eight foot standard with mounted shield for a year to display on their village green.
The award ceremony will be held at each of these villages on Sunday 26th September when CPRE Wiltshire's President, the Lord-Lieutenant for Wiltshire, Mrs Sarah Troughton, will pull away the Union Flag surmounting the shield.
The competiton, sponsored by Hills Waste, also has a 'Newcomer's Award' specifically for villages which have not entered in the last five years.
Maiden Bradley is among the villages which have qualified for this.
The winning villages from 2018 and 2019 can't compete in the main competion but are encouraged to enter the Laurene Kitching Award, sponsored by Princeton Homes.
Ansty and Urchfont are among those who qualify with entry for this specific award closing on the 31st July.