The village’s success was revealed by guest of honour, celebrity author and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh, at an awards ceremony held on Tuesday 6th December in London. Redbourn was competing against a total of 28 other villages throughout England, nominated to represent their respective counties in the ICT section of this prestigious event which is judged separately from the main competition.

Redbourn won the ICT category in the East England region of the competition, competing against villages from Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Alan Titchmarsh was joined by Calor’s managing director, Howard Kerr, to present representatives of Redbourn with their prizes. Alan commented: “Rural communities are an essential part of the fabric of our country - they are the backbone of British life. It is for this reason that the Calor Village of the Year® for England competition, which aims to support and promote village life, is such a positive event and something which I am happy to support.

The competition highlights the very best of village life, encouraging villagers to work together to the benefit of all residents. More importantly, it provides a forum for communities to share best practice and encourages them to address any problems or opportunities that become apparent following their involvement in the competition.”

The competition judges look for well-balanced, pro-active, caring communities which, irrespective of size, have made the best of local opportunities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all residents. The ICT section of the competition is judged by UKVillages.co.uk. Redbourn, which was nominated to take part in the competition by CPRE – The Hertfordshire Society, is a thriving community with a tremendously informative website. Ellie Stoneley of UKVillages commented: “The website is funded by the Parish Council and local businesses and links former residents around the world back to the village. The site is run by a committee, one member of which lives overseas – it is a wonderful, inclusive website which really reflects life in the community

The village offers classes and one-to-one ICT lessons ‘in the home’ and works hard to ensure that the whole community is included. We were particularly impressed to hear the sound of the local church bells ringing out from the website