The following message is sent on behalf of Gloucestershire Rural Community Council

The search continues for GRCC’s Gloucestershire Village of the Year 2025!

The search continues for the county’s top village for Gloucestershire Village of the Year Competition 2025.  This is an opportunity for communities to showcase all the good things they are doing as set out in the categories below.  The competition is open to villages with a parish council or parish meeting with a total population of under 5,000. GRCC is proud to be partnering with One Gloucestershire, Barnwood Trust, Renishaw, Cotswold and Stroud District Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council and Freeman Homes as key sponsors, with kind support from the local media and Cotswold Life.

The categories are:

After the judges’ visits have taken place in May/June, representatives from the shortlisted communities will be invited to the awards ceremony on 17th July at the prestigious Highnam Court. A cheque for £2,000 together with a framed commemorative certificate and plaque will be awarded to the overall winner as well as to each of the individual category winners. Category runners up will each receive £1,000, a framed certificate and plaque. This year’s competition features a special award from the High Sheriff for Volunteer of the Year. All entries will be automatically entered into the Grand Prize Draw with the chance to win prizes worth over £500 donated by B&Q in Gloucester.

Some key messages about the competition and entry form! 

Please don’t overthink the process – no need for working groups. This is about celebrating what you are already doing and communicating that to us in 400 words across 4 categories 

The entry form is simple. 10 simple questions, 5 tick boxes and 5 with a maximum of 400 words per question 

By just entering, you could win over £500 worth of B and Q products! 

Each of the 4 categories carries a prize pot of £2,000 or £1,000 for minimal effort and a chance to win the overall competition if more than one category entered 

You don’t need to include a 5 minute video unless you wish to, it’s merely a way to showcase in a different way or allow others to share what they think about what you do 

A chance to recognise a volunteer in your parish and for them to walk away with a voucher for £50 

The entry form needs to be submitted via the parish council to avoid duplicate entries but categories can be completed by a group or project 

Remember, this is a rare opportunity to receive prize money with no strings attached, and our team is on hand to help with any questions, explain what is needed, or help you! 

Entry forms are available to download from the GRCC website at www.grcc.org.uk and the deadline for entries is Wednesday 30th April 2025.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so go ahead and enter now, there’s still time!