Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition

Winners

Lancashire Village This year's Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition has now come to an end. Over the spring and summer we looked forward to hearing from and assessing the village entries for 'Best Kept Village' and 'Outstanding Features' from across the county and to progressing this year's competition. The 2024 competition had 45 entries and 17 villages were put forward to second round judging ahead of the final round (10 villages, 2 from each category). 247 Outstanding Features were nominated across 16 categories.

Winners of this year's competition were announced at Presentation Event at Eaves Hall on 14th October with final judging and the presentation of awards undertaken by Edwin Booth, Chairman of Booths Supermarkets. 2024 entrants can be found here.

Our Judges take great pleasure in seeing the hard work, endeavour and community spirit that Lancashire villages and their residents put into being involved in the competition. The process and independence of our judging ensures fairness, and it is great to see individual effort rewarded.

The competition celebrated its 60-year Diamond Jubilee in 2018 with some 67 Lancashire villages entering; there were 30 winners, runner-ups or those receiving highly commended in one or more award categories. The 2019 competition, following a review of the 'Constitution of the Competition' (updating, streamlining and simplifying all paperwork used by villages and judges), saw the introduction of 'Outstanding Features', a secondary competition replacing the 'Certificate of Merit' part of the Competition, in which villages entering the main competition are able to nominate up to 10 Outstanding Features of their village - one per class for judging.

After the enforced hiatus of the Covid-19 Lockdown resulting in the 2020 competition being cancelled, following a Committee meeting and review of the situation we could go ahead with the 2021 Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition (entrants).

Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition 2024 villages Finalists:

Grindleton | Sabden | Longton | Higher Adlington | Newburgh | Waddington | Brindle | Roughlee | Little Eccleston | Inglewhite.

Results: Champion Villages 2024

Overall Champion Village: Grindleton | Runner-up: Sabden
Large Villages: Longton | Runner-up: Higher Adlington
Medium Villages: Waddington | Runner-up: Newburgh
Small Villages: Brindle | Runner-up: Roughlee
Hamlets: Little Eccleston | Runner-up: Inglewhite
Urban Community: Ingol | Runner-up: Tanterton

Final judging took place on 20th and 21st August. Winners announced at the Presentation Event at Eaves Hall, West Bradford on 14th October.

Full details and results of the 2024 Competition >>> HERE (Results) [PDF Download].

Previous Years' Results

Competition winners in 2023: Champion Village - Elswick; Large Village - Sabden; Medium Village - Town Green; Small Village - Grindleton; Hamlet - Little Eccleston. 2023 Results (PDF Download).

Competition winners in 2022: Champion Village - Bretherton; Large Village - Lower Adlington; Medium Village - Chipping; Small Village - Belmont; Hamlet - Little Eccleston. 2022 Results (PDF Download).

Competition winners in 2021: Champion Village - Blacko; Large Village - Halsall; Medium Village - Barton; Small Village - Whitechapel; Hamlets - Barley. 2021 Results (PDF Download).

The 2020 Competition was cancelled due to Covid and Lockdowns.

Our pre-Covid competition winners in 2019 were: Champion Village - Higham; Large Village - Freckleton; Medium Village - Mawdesley; Small Village - Bretherton; Hamlets - Wiswell. There were 15 'Outstanding Features' awards for features nominated by the villages themselves. 2019 Results (PDF Download).

The main winners in 2018 were: Champion Village - Elswick; Large Village - Preesall and Knott End; Medium Village - Wrea Green; Small Village - West Bradford; Hamlet - Roughlee.. 2018 Results (PDF Download).

2017 Results.

 

News: Latest

Having begun in the spring with Judges training sessions and the call for entries, the 2024 competition has now concluded; our Presentation Event took place at Eaves Hall West Bradford 14th October and The Committee is pleased to announce the results for 'Best Kept Village', 'Outstanding Features' and new 'Urban Communities' categories. Results.

Best Kept Village Winners (2024):
Final judged by Edwin Booth, Chairman of Booths Supermarkets.
◆ Champion - Grindleton
◆ Large - Longton
◆ Medium - Waddington
◆ Small - Brindle
◆ Hamlet - Little Eccleston

Urban Community (2024):
◆ Ingol

Outstanding Features (2024):
There were 247 nominated 'Outstanding Features' from Lancashire villages across the 16 categories.

Full Results (PDF).

We would like to thank all the villages taking part this year and look forward to visiting as part of the judging process. As ever we much appreciate all who take part and support this event, especially our Judges, Committee and sponsors.

In 2019 the 'Constitution of the Competition' was updated and streamlined, simplifying all paperwork used by villages and judges; the Certificate of Merit part of the competition was overhauled, replaced by a secondary competition called 'Outstanding Features' - villages entering the main competition able to nominate up to 10 Outstanding Features of their village, and certificates awarded to the best in each class. Ahead of the 2023 competition there was further review of the Constitution, entry and judging criteria and a pilot in place to add a 'Tidy Towns' section - this has evolved to become 'Urban Communities'.

Downloads

Other Information

'10 Lancashire villages that you should visit' Lancashire Life (article)

'10 Most Picturesque Villages in Lancashire' Hotels.com (Go Guide). Visit period drama sets, unique hamlets and areas of outstanding beauty…

Did you know there are regional best kept village competitions across the United Kingdom?

Our thanks to our 2024 sponsors: Barton Grange Group, Eaves Hall Hotel at West Radford, Lancashire Association of Local Councils (LALC).