Celebrating after hearing the news early in the morning
An audio recording of the announcement can be found here.
On Saturday 24th August at 6.45am thirty or more excited Great Barton residents met in Great Barton village hall at the ridiculously early hour to take part in Radio Suffolk's Rob Dunger show and hear the result of the competition announced live on air. One village comic even turned up in there pyjamas to emphasize the early hour! Whilst waiting for the result to be announced the residents had breakfast. At about 7.15 John Williams the chairman of SALC (Suffolk Association of Local Councils) announced that Great Barton had won the competition beating Wickham Market into second place and Brantham into third. The bubbly was then opened and the celebrations began.
The village had been judged by Radio Suffolk presenters Lesley Dolphin and Rob Dunger, accompanied by Councillor John Williams the Chairman of SALC, on Sat. 10th August at 11.0am. We were given exactly one hour to impress the judges.
The judges were initially shown around the Village Hall, which has won many awards in its own right, by Project Manager Peter Turner. Mick Brabrook and Pam Dennis then drove the judges around the village. They were shown the highly rated playing field the home ground for 4 football teams, the new allotments and the community woodland areas, including Icepits wood.
They were then introduced to sixteen village organisations which put on displays in the Church Institute.
These were:-
Barton Players, Second Chance Stroke Group, Children's Society Garage Shop, Luncheon Club, GB W.I., GB Allotments, Holy Innocents' Church, GB Community Woodland, GB Scouts + Cubs + Beavers, GB Computer Club, GB Village Hall - green initiatives, GB Film Night, GB carpet Bowls, GB Emergency Planning, Friday Coffee Morning and GB Parish Council. The village hall could not be used for the presentations because it was being prepared for a wedding.
The judges were particularly impressed with Great Barton for the following:-
- The variety of organisations in the village including the Second Chance Stroke club.
- A lot of work is being done on the environment in the village including the woodland areas and walks with lots of liaison with the primary school who are doing some forest school teaching.
- There are some brand new Allotments which are being enthusiastically gardened.
- The village hall has some wonderful green initiatives including bore holes with heat pumps and solar panels.
- The computer club has blossomed with people being helped in the community centre or in their own homes.
- The drama club has been running for many years and has raised thousands of pounds for charity.
- They were the first to set up a comprehensive Emergency Plan which is being copied nationally.
Great Barton received an engraved rose bowl and cheque for £500 for winning the district round. It receives a plaque and cheque for £1000 for winning the final and a £50 national garden gift voucher.
Great Barton also won the Suffolk Wildlife Trust Award and receives a prize and certificate for wildlife conservation.
The prize money will be spent on a project(s) which benefits the whole community.
The competition is organised on an annual basis by the Suffolk Association of Local Councils, with support from the district councils, and this year's event has been sponsored by UK Power Networks, the East Anglian Daily Times and the Suffolk Magazine, with support from the BBC and Adnams. Great Barton's co-ordinator for the competition was Mick Brabrook.
Great Barton residents celebrating winning Suffolk Village of the Year 2013
Great Barton wins St Edmundsbury district round of the Suffolk Village of the Year
Competition 2013
The St Edmundsbury Judging Panel (chaired by Councillor Cockle, with Councillors Mrs
Rushen, Redhead and Thorndyke) enjoyed a day of judging on 14 June. This year's
competition was open to villages with between 1251 and 2250 electors and entries were
received from Barrow, Great Barton and Ixworth.
The judges were warmly welcomed by all three villages, however Great Barton was the
winning village. Great Barton gave an impressive flavour of the community spirit that is
enjoyed, with the village being represented by the Barton Players, Great Barton Allotments
Association, Great Barton Community Woodland, Great Barton Computer Club, Great Barton
Emergency Planning, Great Barton Film Night, Great Barton Luncheon Club, Great Barton
Primary School, Great Barton Village Hall, and Holy Innocents' Church.
Great Barton was awarded a prize of £500 from St Edmundsbury Borough Council (the Parish
Council is able to put this money towards whatever village project they wish), together with
an engraved rose bowl that was presented by the St Edmundsbury Mayor, Councillor Terry
Buckle, on 27 July during a village event.
We wish Great Barton every success in the final to become the Suffolk Village of the Year,
where they will be competing with Brantham and Wickham Market. The final round will take
place on Saturday 10 August and the judges will be Lesley Dolphin and Rob Dunger from
BBC Radio Suffolk.
The competition is organised on an annual basis by the Suffolk Association of Local Councils,
with support from the district
councils, and this year's event
has been sponsored by UK
Power Networks, the East
Anglian Daily Times and the
Suffolk Magazine, with support
from the BBC and Adnams.
Celebrating after hearing the news early in the morning
An audio recording of the announcement can be found here.
On Saturday 24th August at 6.45am thirty or more excited Great Barton residents met in Great Barton village hall at the ridiculously early hour to take part in Radio Suffolk's Rob Dunger show and hear the result of the competition announced live on air. One village comic even turned up in there pyjamas to emphasize the early hour! Whilst waiting for the result to be announced the residents had breakfast. At about 7.15 John Williams the chairman of SALC (Suffolk Association of Local Councils) announced that Great Barton had won the competition beating Wickham Market into second place and Brantham into third. The bubbly was then opened and the celebrations began.
The village had been judged by Radio Suffolk presenters Lesley Dolphin and Rob Dunger, accompanied by Councillor John Williams the Chairman of SALC, on Sat. 10th August at 11.0am. We were given exactly one hour to impress the judges.
The judges were initially shown around the Village Hall, which has won many awards in its own right, by Project Manager Peter Turner. Mick Brabrook and Pam Dennis then drove the judges around the village. They were shown the highly rated playing field the home ground for 4 football teams, the new allotments and the community woodland areas, including Icepits wood.
They were then introduced to sixteen village organisations which put on displays in the Church Institute.
These were:-
Barton Players, Second Chance Stroke Group, Children's Society Garage Shop, Luncheon Club, GB W.I., GB Allotments, Holy Innocents' Church, GB Community Woodland, GB Scouts + Cubs + Beavers, GB Computer Club, GB Village Hall - green initiatives, GB Film Night, GB carpet Bowls, GB Emergency Planning, Friday Coffee Morning and GB Parish Council. The village hall could not be used for the presentations because it was being prepared for a wedding.
The judges were particularly impressed with Great Barton for the following:-
- The variety of organisations in the village including the Second Chance Stroke club.
- A lot of work is being done on the environment in the village including the woodland areas and walks with lots of liaison with the primary school who are doing some forest school teaching.
- There are some brand new Allotments which are being enthusiastically gardened.
- The village hall has some wonderful green initiatives including bore holes with heat pumps and solar panels.
- The computer club has blossomed with people being helped in the community centre or in their own homes.
- The drama club has been running for many years and has raised thousands of pounds for charity.
- They were the first to set up a comprehensive Emergency Plan which is being copied nationally.
Great Barton received an engraved rose bowl and cheque for £500 for winning the district round. It receives a plaque and cheque for £1000 for winning the final and a £50 national garden gift voucher.
Great Barton also won the Suffolk Wildlife Trust Award and receives a prize and certificate for wildlife conservation.
The prize money will be spent on a project(s) which benefits the whole community.
The competition is organised on an annual basis by the Suffolk Association of Local Councils, with support from the district councils, and this year's event has been sponsored by UK Power Networks, the East Anglian Daily Times and the Suffolk Magazine, with support from the BBC and Adnams. Great Barton's co-ordinator for the competition was Mick Brabrook.
Great Barton residents celebrating winning Suffolk Village of the Year 2013
Great Barton wins St Edmundsbury district round of the Suffolk Village of the Year
Competition 2013
The St Edmundsbury Judging Panel (chaired by Councillor Cockle, with Councillors Mrs
Rushen, Redhead and Thorndyke) enjoyed a day of judging on 14 June. This year's
competition was open to villages with between 1251 and 2250 electors and entries were
received from Barrow, Great Barton and Ixworth.
The judges were warmly welcomed by all three villages, however Great Barton was the
winning village. Great Barton gave an impressive flavour of the community spirit that is
enjoyed, with the village being represented by the Barton Players, Great Barton Allotments
Association, Great Barton Community Woodland, Great Barton Computer Club, Great Barton
Emergency Planning, Great Barton Film Night, Great Barton Luncheon Club, Great Barton
Primary School, Great Barton Village Hall, and Holy Innocents' Church.
Great Barton was awarded a prize of £500 from St Edmundsbury Borough Council (the Parish
Council is able to put this money towards whatever village project they wish), together with
an engraved rose bowl that was presented by the St Edmundsbury Mayor, Councillor Terry
Buckle, on 27 July during a village event.
We wish Great Barton every success in the final to become the Suffolk Village of the Year,
where they will be competing with Brantham and Wickham Market. The final round will take
place on Saturday 10 August and the judges will be Lesley Dolphin and Rob Dunger from
BBC Radio Suffolk.
The competition is organised on an annual basis by the Suffolk Association of Local Councils,
with support from the district
councils, and this year's event
has been sponsored by UK
Power Networks, the East
Anglian Daily Times and the
Suffolk Magazine, with support
from the BBC and Adnams.On Saturday evening 27th July the Mayor Councillor Terry Buckle made an official visit to Great Barton Village Hall so that he could present the prizes to Great Barton for winning the district round of the "Village of the Year" competition. The presentation was made at the start of a free "Film Archive Evening" organised by Great Barton Film Night. Councillor Terry Buckle was pleased to present an engraved rose bowl, which the village retains for a year, and £500 which will be put to community use to Mick Brabrook, Great Barton's Village of the Year co-ordinator and to the other residents who put Great Barton's competition submission together.
Judging for the district round took place Friday 14th July, Great Barton welcomed four St. Edmundsbury Borough councillors doing the judging. The village was given 1 hour and free rein to impress the judges why Great Barton should win the competition. The time constraint meant that the judges remained at the village hall site for the whole visit.
The competition is sponsored by UK Power Networks, the East Anglian Daily Times and the Suffolk Magazine, with support from the BBC and Adnams. The awards are organised on an annual basis by the Suffolk Association of Local Councils, with support from the district councilhhh
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Great Barton wins St Edmundsbury district round of the Suffolk Village of the Year
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