Villages throughout Montgomeryshire have been praised for their community spirit after the winner of the Montgomeryshire Best Kept Village was revealed.
Judges named Berriew near Welshpool, Powys as the winner of the village competition run by the Montgomeryshire branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales with support from estate agents and chartered surveyors Morris, Marshall and Poole.
Eleven villages entered the competition, with the finalists named as Guilsfield, Llanymynech and Berriew, the winner.
CPRW President, broadcaster and journalist Jules Hudson, best known for being a presenter on BBC Countryfile and A Place in the Country, revealed the winner at a ceremony in Welshpool on Friday (30th September 2016).
“It’s great to see such community spirit taking hold as part of the Best Kept Village Competition,” said Mr Hudson. “The judges have commended each and every village taking part for their hard work and determination in getting the whole of their community together to enter.
“Everything from litter picking to improvements to bus shelters has taken place. But in addition to the physical appearance of the villages, judges were also looking for community services, their vibrancy and overall spirit and it came through in each and every village taking part.
“But there can only be one winner and Berriew is the winner for 2016, closely followed by Guilsfield and Llanymynech. Each and every village that enters can be justly proud.”
Paul Evans, a partner at Morris, Marshall and Poole which sponsored the competition, said the entries demonstrated how villages formed the backbone of rural communities such as those in north Powys.
“We deal with each and every village through our work and whether it’s selling property, land or working with the agricultural community through our rural team, we witness the true spirit of these villages day-in-day-out,” he said.
“It’s something people looking for property in such communities look for when considering where to buy a home. We’d like to congratulate Berriew for becoming the overall winner as well as all those that entered.”
The eleven villages through to the finals were Llanymynech, Caersws, Berriew, Dolanog, Bettws Cedewain, Llandyssil, Arddleen, Guilsfield, Meifod, Castle Caereinion and Tregynon.
Chris Fuller, chair of the Montgomeryshire branch of the CPRW said they had reintroduced the competition with greater emphasis on community involvement and a great place to live.
“We have seen some great work undertaken in each and every village taking part and now we will consider whether to bring the competition back bi-annually knowing just how much spirit and determination was created this year,” he said.
Villages throughout north Powys have been praised for their community spirit after the winner of the Montgomeryshire Best Kept Village was revealed.
