A best kept village is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 that has won an annual competition

Competition

Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...

 (usually on a county

County

A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...

 basis) in the UK for its tidiness, appropriateness and typicality. For example see: CPRE Devon competition.

The Competition

The data in this section is taken from a county

County

A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...

 competition - in this case Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, which can be taken as typical and which is sponsored by Mole Valley Farmers

Mole Valley Farmers

Mole Valley Farmers was started in 1960 by a small group of farmers in Devon who were concerned by the discriminatory practices and the large margins being taken by many of their input suppliers. They decided to treat all members equally, subject only to quantity allowance and that the company...

.

The competition has been nationally organised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England for nearly 40 years.

The objects are to encourage villages to harness a sense of community by:

• keeping the village clean
• keeping the village well cared for
• keeping the village environmentally friendly

The village does not have to be particularly picturesque

Picturesque

Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year 1770, a practical book which instructed England's...

 or traditional, or even attractive.

The ethos of the competition is summed up by these remarks on from East Staffordshire:

“The competition is not about pretty villages, it is about community spirit and seeks the involvement of the whole village community, all age groups and organisations. This not only fosters greater pride in a village, but it can increase tourism and interest in the area. Members of the Best Kept Village Competition Working Group are more than willing to give a presentation to any village needing help and advice on entering, whether they are new to the competition or are regular entrants who would like to improve on their past performance.”
The competition is judged in four categories: past winners, small villages, large villages, new entries.

Sponsors often provide a small prize to the winners. Other initiatives of a competitive nature (often involving children) are included.

The competition is judged by a panel of anonymous judges, and judging takes place is three rounds in May, June and July/August.

Checklist

The judging checklist includes the following items:

• 1. Absence of litter
  Litter
  Litter consists of waste products such as containers, papers, wrappers or faeces which have been disposed of without consent. Litter can also be used as a verb...
  
   and unsightly refuse dumps on verges
• 2. Condition of village green
  Village green
  A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
  
  s, playing field
  Playing field
  A playing field is a field used for playing sports or games. They are generally outdoors, but many large structures exist to enclose playing fields from bad weather. Generally, playing fields are wide expanses of grass, dirt or sand without many obstructions...
  
  s, school yards, public seats and noticeboards
• 3. Condition of public and private buildings, gardens and allotment
  Allotment (gardening)
  An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
  
  s, including hedges, walls, fences and outhouse
  Outhouse
  An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
  
  s
• 4. Condition of churchyard
  Churchyard
  A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
  
  s, cemeteries and war memorial
  War memorial
  A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
  
  s
• 5. Condition of public hall
  Village hall
  In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
  
  s, sports facilities and car parks
• 6. Cleanliness of public toilets, bus shelters and telephone kiosks
• 7. State of footpath
  Trail
  A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
  
  s, stile
  Stile
  A stile is a structure which provides people a passage through or over a fence or boundary via steps, ladders, or narrow gaps. Stiles are often built in rural areas or along footpaths to allow access to an adjacent field or area separated by a fence, wall or hedge...
  
  s, field gates, signposting, pond
  Pond
  A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
  
  s and streams
• 8. Condition of commercial and business premises, including advertisements and other signs
• 9. Clear evidence of local commitment and initiative in the care and maintenance of the village
• 10. Evidence of community spirit

Award

A prize is given to the winner from past winners - the Pertwee Bowl. Other categories receive the CPRE shield. Certificates are given to winners and runners-up. Winning villages receive a 'best kept village' road sign. All winners receive vouchers.

Benefits

The creation and support of a sense of community can be seen at work, making a village seem more than a collection of houses, public and work buildings.

There may be direct commercial benefits to some local businesses. Pubs, bed and breakfast

Bed and breakfast

A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...

 establishments, tea shops, farmers' markets, craft shops and antiques businesses may gain extra custom.

Best kept villages are often a high point on a day trip

Day Trip

Day Trip is the studio album of jazz guitarist Pat Metheny along with Christian McBride and Antonio Sanchez.It was released by Nonesuch Records on January 29, 2008.-Track listing:-Personnel:* Pat Metheny - Guitar* Christian McBride - Bass...

 by car

Čar

Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...

 or bus

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

 for town-dwellers.

Criticisms

These are frequent. Winning the competition may be seen as drawing too much traffic to a village, and making it busier, even drawing unwelcome strangers to it. As a village must look good overall, villagers who do not fit in with the ethos may feel excluded, say by failing to keep their gardens up to winning standards.

In fiction

Ambridge, Borsetshire

Borsetshire

Borsetshire is a fictional county in the BBC Radio 4 series The Archers. Its county town is the equally fictional Borchester.Other places in the county include Ambridge, where The Archers is mainly set, Lower Loxley, a nearby village and Felpersham, a cathedral city which appears to be larger than...

 has been a winner in the radio soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 The Archers

The Archers

The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...

.

Much of the plot to Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action dark comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. The three had previously worked together on the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead as well as the television series Spaced...

, a 2007 British action comedy film by Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...

 and Edgar Wright

Edgar Wright

Edgar Howard Wright is an English film and television director and writer. He is most famous for his work with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the TV series Spaced, and for directing the film Scott Pilgrim vs...

, revolves around the rather egregious lengths the citizens of Sanford will go to in their attempt at keeping a best kept village award.