A COMMUNITY champion award will be created by Blunsdon Parish Council with the money the village was awarded after being named the Best Kept Large Village in Wiltshire.

In a ceremony at the village’s Millennium Gardens, the Campaign To Protect Rural England’s president and the Lord Lieutenant for Wiltshire, Sarah Troughton, unveiled the standard and shield which will be proudly on show for the next 12 months.

Prize money of £150 was awarded to the village, which will not go into the parish council’s coffers, according to chairman Ian Jankinson.

“It will go to someone nominated by the villagers as going above and beyond the call of duty in terms of looking after the village and residents,” he said.

“It may involve helping out somewhere or committing a selfless act for the village.”

The award is given to the village which is kept looking the smartest by residents, and, after several months of inspections, the judges decided Blunsdon was the best.

Organising the entry is the responsibility of the parish council but it is up to the residents to keep the village looking its best.

Anne Henshaw, the chairman of North Wiltshire CPRE, who made one of the presentations, said the challenge ahead of Blunsdon was retaining its identity in the face of the ongoing developments around Swindon.

“The challenge is to keep your identity despite what’s going on around you,” she said.

“You don’t have to have lived here for generations to identify with your village, a few years here is just as relevant.

“I wish you the best of luck in sticking together and keeping hold of your community in the coming years.”