VILLAGERS have taken the first step towards retaining a national title they claimed last year.
Calor Village of the Year judges spent two hours in Langham as they resumed their search for the jewel in the crown of the country’s villages.
Langham caught the judges’ eye last year and residents hope they are on the road to retaining the coveted title.
More than 1,000 villages enter the competition, which was launched in 1997, each year.
Judges made a return trip to Langham, which had already passed the county round with flying colours following its written entry.
The visit gave residents a chance to show why their village is a potential winner.
Langham is up against 38 other villages nominated to take part in the competition and has to prove it is the best across the four categories: a better place to live; a better place to work; a better future; and communications.
Langham is representing Essex in the East England region of the competition and will be competing against villages from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk in the first round of judging.
Further judging of selected villages will take place in the summer.
Suzanne Weir, Calor Village of the Year manager, said: “The contest is all about celebrating vibrant, sustainable communities as they strive to respond to the current environmental and socio-economic challenges, while, at the same time, making life as good as it can be for residents of all ages.”
First prize in the competition is £7,000, with £2,000 going to each of five regional winners. In addition, there are four category prizes of £500 in each region.
Last year, Langham’s title claim was boosted by a thriving store, an outlet opened four years ago by residents whose former village shop had closed down, and an imposing community centre.
The Calor Essex Village of the Year and Best Kept Village judges were also impressed by the recreation ground, which offers a wide range of sporting facilities for the active, and a quiet garden for the not-so-active.
A new memorial to the USAAF Second World War airfield that once operated in the parish also caught the panel’s eye.
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