Cushendall in Calor village of the year finals

CUSHENDALL will go head to head with 15 other villages from across Northern Ireland in the final of the prestigious 2010 Calor Village of the Year® Competition, it has been announced.

This year’s competition offers two main awards. Cushendall will compete against Ballintoy, Seapatrick, Castledawson, Dromore (County Tyrone), Portaferry, Broughshane, Toome and Kesh for the overall 2010 Calor Village of the Year award and a cash prize of 5,000.

Seven other villages – Killeter, Dundrod, Massford/Finnis, Cloney, Kilskeery, Cloughmills and Dromboughil – will contest the Calor Rural Community Award, which recognises the contribution made by communities with a population of less than 1,000.

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 life in Northern Ireland.

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

Each category winner and the Rural Award winner receive 1,000 with an additional 5,000 on offer to the village which wins the overall 2010 Calor Village of the Year award.

A team of judges will visit Cushendall over the next few weeks to meet with local representatives, who will have the opportunity to present their village and demonstrate why they feel they should win.

The winner of the 2010 Calor Village of the Year title and the Calor Rural Community Award will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony in October.

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.