The 'friendliest village in Northamptonshire' wins award
Friendly Creaton, which residents say is "the place no-one wants to leave", has been crowned Northamptonshire's Village of the Year.
The competition, run by Northamptonshire ACRE, rates rural communities on criteria such as their environment, village life and people.
Creaton was awarded the honour at a ceremony in Hunsbury Hill last night, with judges rating its people and community life highly.
And residents who spoke to the Chronicle & Echo were in full agreement.
Kate McEwan, a governor of the village primary school, said: "Anyone new to Creaton is always invited to get involved, because people are all so friendly, but if they don't want to there's no pressure to. It's a nice balance.
"The thing about it is that no-one really wants to leave here and when they have to they always want to come back. I think that sums it up."
Village residents told the Chronicle & Echo they were surprised but delighted with the title, as news of the victory broke yesterday.
Although all of them mentioned fellow villagers as among the best reasons to live there, they were able to think of a list of reasons for championing Creaton.
Many cited the good reputation of the primary school, the vibrant village store and the fact it still has a post office.
Stan Perrins, the chairman of the parish council, said: "I think a competition like this really gives people a jolt and gets them thinking about what they love about where they live.
"Personally, I think we are lucky to have both a really good school and a post office in one village, because I think they are the heart of a community."
As the overall 2008 Calor Northamptonshire Village of the Year, Creaton has the added honour of representing the county in the Calor Village of the Year for England competition.
But there were also prizes in the county competition for Syresham and Crick, which were the winners for the medium village and large village categories respectively.
Northamptonshire ACRE, a charitable organisation which aims to improve the quality of life for rural communities, is looking for a company to sponsor the competition next year.
& Any firm interested can call Northampton 765888.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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