The village of Loders near Bridport scooped the top prize for Best Small Village at the 2014 Dorset Best Village Competition.

The announcement was made at an evening ceremony Morden Village Hall, near Dorchester where a number of other awards were handed out, including to the village of Martinstown for Best Large Village.

Jane Edwards, president of Loders Women’s Institute, put the village forward for this year’s competition which is backed by the Bridport and Lyme Regis News’ sister paper the Dorset Echo.

She nominated sights such as St Mary Magdalene Church, the Chapel in Uploders, the villager hall and areas that the Parish Council looks after as key point for the visiting judges to explore.

Mrs Edwards said:“All you know about the judging is that they would arrive at some time in May, June, or July and we were lucky that when they did the village had its scarecrow festival and poppy displays in memory of the Great War. The judges were very impressed.”

She added: “We’re grateful to the festival organising committee for such a wonderful display and the parish council for the communal areas that we have.

“The win really is thanks to the hard work of the residents and local community.”

Meanwhile Charmouth and its ‘Shoreline’ community magazine won ‘The People’s Project’, awarded to the village judged to have entered the best project involving local active people.

What started as a community news sheet, published three times a year, developed over the years into a 52-page publication ‘at the heart of village life’. Editor and founder Jane Morrow first thought about putting a newsletter together ‘as an eager parish councillor’ to help newcomers to the village find out what was going on. The first 12-page issue came out in 2008.

She said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award. It’s a wonderful acknowledgement of nearly six years of hard work and dedication by the team, all of whom are volunteers.” In the ‘Best Environment’ category – the village judged to be doing the best ‘Green’ initiative saw Alderholt ‘Village Pond’ project come out on top with Shipton Gorge ‘Community Wood’ project runner up. A new category introduced this year for the first time ‘Best Village Shop’ and sponsored by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) resulted in Winfrith Newburgh Village Stores and Post Office being declared the winner with Iwerne Minster Village Shop and Post Office hard on its heels as runner up.

The awards included the Best Village which has been organised by Dorset Community Action since 1987. Five years ago Magna, Dorset’s largest housing association, became the major sponsor for the competition and renewed its support for 2014.

BEST VILLAGE AWARDS

Large Village Award

Winner: Martinstown

Joint second: Alderholt and Sturminster Marshall

Small Village Award

Winner: Loders

Runner up: Puncknowle

Third: Wootton Fitzpaine

Hamlets Award

Winner: Winterbourne Steepleton

Runner up: Melcombe Horsey

People’s Project Award

Winner: Charmouth – Shoreline Magazine

Joint runners up: Briantspuddle -–Coffee Shop and Milborne St Andrew – Bus 2 Go Environmental

Champions Award

Winner: Alderholt – Village Pond

Runner-up: Shipton Gorge – Saunders Richardson Wood

Best Village Shop

Winner: Winfrith Village Stores

Runner up: Iwerne Minster Village Stores

Previous Winners Small Village

Winner: Shipton Gorge

Runner up: Tarrant Monkton

Previous Winners Large Village

Winner: Pimperne

Runner up: Winterborne Kingston 

Sponsors of the event included The Dorset Echo, Dorset County Council, the four district councils, Dorset Magazine, Blackmore Vale Magazine, along with local food producers and associated businesses Clipper Tea, Thomas J Fudge’s Biscuits, Honeybuns, Craig’s Dairies, Helen Furness Catering and the Co-op.