The people of Calverhall are celebrating today after the village was announced the best in Shropshire.

Calverhall is the 2007 Calor Shropshire Village of the Year and will go on to represent the county in the national stages of the competition. Villages are judged on a number of criteria for the title, including community life, business opportunities and activities for young people.

Last year Calverhall won the environment section and was overall runner-up but this year, judges said it had improved beyond belief.

Farmer Paul Griffiths, who helped organise the competition with his wife Elaine, village hall committee chairman Mike Marsh and the rest of the village, said people were thrilled.

He said: “We all strive to make the village great. It is very much a community effort. We are trying to keep the community spirit when it’s lost in so many parts of the country. The judges gave us two days notice and we tried to get round everybody in charge of a club.

“The place was buzzing and the judges said that was what it was all about. We had the cricket club having a game, the tennis club was in use and the bowls club and we had bell ringing at the church. We also organised for parents and children to be in the playground.”

Mrs Griffiths, who looked after the application forms, said: “Calverhall is so special because everybody gets behind everything.”

Mary Dutton, who runs a flower arranging business with fellow villager Marilyn Reeves, said it was the community spirit which made it a lovely place to live.

Her husband Paul Dutton, chairman of the West Midlands Dairy Board for the NFU, said: “It’s a village with lots going on.”

Mrs Reeves, who has lived in the village for 38 years, said: “It’s a great little village.”

Julia Baron, chief executive for the Community Council of Shropshire, which runs the competition, said: “They have just progressed so much in the last 12 months, they were a clear winner.” There will be a prize giving ceremony in the village on Saturday at 2pm.

What judges are looking for:

• Communities are assessed in a number of areas including community life, young people, older people and the environment. Calverhall has made an important contribution to the environment through its pond project, which saw large pits turned into a thriving wildlife habitat.
• It is not just about a village looking pretty but having a real community spirit. Calverhall organises many family activities, including its fun day in September and a variety of clubs which meet in the village.
• Judges were looking for access to information electronically and praised Calverhall for its informative website designed by Simon Fielder.
• The role played by local businesses in village life was also an important part of the criteria. Calverhall has everything from flower arranging to the Olde Jack Inn.
• Judges were also looking to see if people are made welcome, particularly if they are strangers to the village, and with its thriving village life, Calverhall ticked all the boxes.

By Rebecca Lawrence