Ludlow voted UK's greatest

Ludlow is the best town in the UK according to judges who gave it a prestigious award at a ceremony at London's Dorchester Hotel.

The south Shropshire town came out top for its quality of life, community involvement, physical beauty and organisation.

The Academy of Urbanism presented its inaugural Great Town award to Ludlow after deciding it was a better place than the two other finalists, Lincoln and St Ives.

Graeme Kidd, Ludlow mayor, today said he was delighted to collect the Great Town award on behalf of residents.

He said: "Quite obviously, Ludlow is a lovely place with brilliant, well-looked after buildings. The judges appreciated the aesthetics of the town.

"But, more importantly, I think they were impressed with our communities and how Ludlow is run and organised. They saw we place a great emphasis on quality of life."

Judges heard Ludlow has some of the lowest crime rates in the UK, a range of festivals and entertainment venues, great food and drink, a strong sense of community and good links with other organisations.

Councillor Kidd added: "The judges were impressed with our Slow City mindset. Ludlow was the UK's first Slow City, or Cittaslow."