Best Kept Village Community (BKVC)

The village of Hill Ridware has entered Best Kept Village Community for a number of years. The competition is run by The Community Foundation for Staffordshire and has been running since 1956.

In 2023 Hill Ridware won second place in the Small Village category and was a joint winner of the Richard Winterton Auctioneers Award for Community Spirit.

This year Hill Ridware has entered again. Our application was supported by a Yearbook for 2023/24 which sets out all that has been achieved within the community over the financial year. The submission was made by the Community Spirit Group that brings together a number of parishioners and local organisations.

The yearbook highlights all the key events and activities that have shaped our year in the village and all the projects that have been delivered. It is truly outstanding to see just how much we have achieved as a small community!

BKVC also supports a number of supplementary competitions and we would encourage all residents to enter. To find out more please visit:

https://www.bestkept.community/competitions

What is the Best Kept Village & Community Competition?

The Best Kept Village & Community competition aims to develop and highlight a sense of pride amongst local people throughout Staffordshire. It illustrates and emphasises how much voluntary work is undertaken to keep Staffordshire beautiful and how communities work together to make where they live desirable and a place, they are proud to call home.

https://www.bestkept.community/about

What is judged and marked in BKVC?

A village will be judged on its maintenance and appearance and the community spirit amongst its residents and how that is evidenced throughout the year via supporting photographs and videos. Judges will take into consideration where a village does not have a certain feature, e.g. a bus shelter, war memorial, large open space, etc. this will be considered in marking and villages will certainly NOT be at a disadvantage because they do not have BKVC features. 25% of the marks awarded come from the community spirit section of the competition entry from with the other 75% being judged in person when the judges visit.