COULD Great Bardfield be named England s next top village? The community had the opportunity to get one step closer to that coveted position when it presented to Calor Village of the Year England 2009/10 judges last Wednesday. Great Bardfield has already

COULD Great Bardfield be named England's next top village?

The community had the opportunity to get one step closer to that coveted position when it presented to Calor Village of the Year England 2009/10 judges last Wednesday.

Great Bardfield has already passed the county round with flying colours and villagers had the chance to show why their village is a potential national winner.

Parish clerk Kate Fox said to win the award would be a big boost to the village.

"One of the most important things we've got going on in the village is the new pavilion project," said Ms Fox.

"So if we were to win this award at national level it would be extra weight for the village when filling out application forms for grants."

Great Bardfield is up against a total of 36 others, all of which have been nominated to take part through a network of county events.

Judges spent two hours with villagers as they strived to showcase their community across four categories which cover: Community - a better place to live; Business - a better place to work; Sustainability - a better future; and Communications - being in contact.

Great Bardfield will initially be competing against villages representing Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk in the first round of judging. The regional winners will be announced on Tuesday (October 20).

"There must be some really strong candidates left but we're keeping our fingers crossed," said Ms Fox.

"It would be quite an achievement for any parish to win it and it is nice to think we are representing the county as well. If we can get further that would be super."

First prize in the national competition is �7000 with �2000 going to each of five regional winners. In addition, there are four category prizes of �500.

To find out more about Calor Village of the Year, including full details of participating villages, visit www.calorvillageoftheyear.org