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Wiltshire Council is joining forces with its contractor idverde to sponsor CPRE Wiltshire’s Best Kept Village competition for 2025. Additional sponsorship is provided by the Renelec Group, which provides specialised services to the construction industry and are sponsoring the 2025 Best Newcomer Award.
Residents across Wiltshire are being encouraged to take part in this year’s event by organising litter collections, cleaning bus shelters and other outside areas and sweeping footpaths to enhance their village’s appearance. Awards will be presented to celebrate the work carried out to enhance the beauty and sustainability of their local environment and for showing increased community involvement and community spirit amongst residents.
CPRE Wiltshire is part of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, a nationwide charity dedicated to preserving the countryside, protecting green spaces, and promoting sustainable living. The Wiltshire branch works across the county to advocate for rural communities and the environment.
Entries will be judged on a wide range of criteria, including:
• Litter collection and cleanliness
• Presentation of village green spaces, churchyards, paths and streets
• Rewilding and biodiversity conservation efforts
The competition features separate categories for small (population of up to 300 people), medium (301 to 1,000 people) and large (1,001 – 3,500 people) villages, with winners of each category receiving a £200 cash prize. Runners-up receive smaller prizes. An overall Winner of Winners village prize will also be awarded, which celebrates the village that has excelled in all aspects of the competition over the past three years.
In 2024, the winning villages were Ashton Keynes, Upper and Lower Seagry, and Hankerton, all in North Wiltshire, with Urchfont awarded the Winner or Winners. You can read more about 2024 here.
To help residents get started, the council can provide access to litter pickers and other necessary equipment for local clean-up efforts and the collection of bagged waste. Requests for equipment can be made by contacting the Community Engagement Manager at wiltshirehelpdesk@idverde.co.uk.
Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways and Street Scene at Wiltshire Council, said: “We are delighted to be involved with sponsoring and judging this year’s Best Kept Village competition.
“It is not only an opportunity for our residents to win prizes within their villages but also a chance to build a sense of community, enhance village pride, and to come together in a collective effort to protect and preserve the environment. The latter of which is a key business plan priority for us as a council.
“Whether it’s a small rural village, such as West Dean or Tytherington, or one of our larger villages, such as Alderbury or Seend, every bit of effort counts! We look forward to seeing the pride and effort that our villagers bring to the competition.”
Paul Ashman, idverde Community Engagement Manager said “When Mike Manson, Project Officer for CPRE Wiltshire, approached idverde and Wiltshire Council to jointly sponsor this year’s event, we were thrilled to accept. This marks the second consecutive year that idverde has sponsored the CPRE Wiltshire Best Kept Village Competition. Following our successful sponsorship of the Laurence Kitching (Winner of Winners) Award and the Best Newcomer Award in 2024, we were eager to continue our support. This event perfectly aligns with idverde’s mission in Wiltshire—supporting the community and enhancing the quality of life in local villages. We are excited to start the year by sponsoring such a wonderful community event.”
Mike Manson from CPRE Wiltshire, said, “Villagers who take part in the BKVC find it to be a very rewarding experience, both during preparation and if they win. The main presentation day, in September, always demonstrates their great pride and community spirit in having done well. There is no cost to enter and submitting the entry pack (a simple form, a map and a short report) doesn’t take much time or effort.”
Application details, along with full guidelines on how to enter, are available on the CPRE Wiltshire website. The competition is open to all villages in Wiltshire, and entries will be accepted until the application deadline on April 17, 2025. Judging will take place initially from mid-May to mid-June, with a second round of judging in July. Winners are announced in August.
