Cloughmills a winner in village awards

CLOUGHMILLS has been named as the 'Environment' category winner in the 2010 Calor Village of the Year® Awards, beating off stiff competition from nine other village across Northern Ireland to win the coveted title and a cash prize of £1,000.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Oct 2010, 16:47 BST
Updated 18th Oct 2010, 15:15 BST

Broughshane was named overall 2010 Calor Village of the Year while Ballintoy, Co Antrim, received a High Commendation. The small community of Kilskeery in Co Tyrone collected the Calor Rural Community Award, which was open to villages and rural communities with a population of 1,000 or less.

The competition, which is run in conjunction with the Rural Development Council (RDC), celebrates vibrant, enterprising and caring rural communities and the vital role they play in local life.

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It is open to all rural communities with a population of less than 4,500 and judged against five categories – building community life, business, young people, environment and older people.

The winners of the category accolades and 1,000 cash prizes were: Dromboughil (Older People), Portaferry (Young People), Kesh (Business) and Ballintoy (Building Community Life).

Congratulating the category winner, Michael Kossack, Chief Executive of Calor Gas, said: “Cloughmills overwhelmed judges with its innovative approach to its environment.

“The judges were impressed with the range of environmental initiatives used to keep the village attractive, friendly and welcoming, as well as the wide range of programmes used to inform and educate the local community.

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“They were particularly impressed with the high level of school and business involvement, as well as their ambitious plans for a community woodland and Fair Trade Village accreditation.”

Martin Mc Donald, Chief Executive, Rural Development Council said this year’s competition had been a tremendous success.

“Every entrant demonstrated community spirit and commitment, along with a real sense of pride, giving us a genuine appreciation for what it is like to live there,” he said.

“There could be only one overall winner, but we congratulate everyone for their hard work and dedication which, once again, demonstrates how vibrant a role our many villages play in Northern Ireland community life.”

For more information on the 2010 Calor Village of the Year competition visit www.calorvillageoftheyear.org/northern-ireland or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CalorVillageoftheYear.

Related topics:CloughmillsNorthern IrelandPeople