Best Kept Village

What is Best Kept Village?

The Best Kept Village Competition is organised annually by the Best Kept Village Working Group on behalf of the Community Council of Staffordshire.  It has been in operation for nearly 60 years.  Originally part of the Keep Britain Tidy initiative, it has now expanded to include all aspects of caring for the village environment.  The aim is to encourage community spirit throughout the year and to stimulate pride in villages.  The competition is judged by independent volunteer judges who make unscheduled visits during the summer months and mark what they notice during these visits.

What is judged and marked in BKV?

The judges will develop an overall impression of the community spirit of the residents but mark on the following features:

BKV Publicity and Awareness; Children’s Posters; Notice Boards; Local Information (including Recycling and Dog-fouling Awareness); Church/Chapel Surrounds, Cemeteries and Burial Grounds; Communal Buildings; Public Houses; Telephone Boxes, Bus Shelters, Seating Areas, Village Signs and Features; War Memorial; Large Public Open Spaces, Greens, Playing Fields, etc; Small Open Spaces; Private Gardens; Children’s Play Areas, Play Equipment and Safety Surfaces; Map; General Cleanliness and Community Effort (including Litter and Dog-fouling) 

Judging normally takes place between the beginning of May and mid-July

What are our aims? 

To make Rolleston an even more pleasant place in which to live

To enhance community spirit and stimulate pride in the village

To be judged as the Best Kept Village in East Staffordshire

Who can be involved?

Anyone and everyone of all ages can be involved.  The Parish Council has taken the decision to enter and will co-ordinate the activities.   There is no formal BKV membership and there are many ways to be part of caring for the environment and showing pride in the community as an individual or as a family.  All help is voluntary and everyone can give as much or as little time as they want. Attend the  meetings (details can be found here) or contact the Parish Clerk.

You do not have to belong to a village organisation and you will not be asked to commit to anything you do not want to do!  Families and young people are especially welcome.   Even if you don’t want to attend meetings or become formally involved there are many ways that you can help:

Report problem areas and concerns

Adopt an area or arrange a litter-pick.

 Again, notify the BKV Co-ordinator or a member of the Parish Council and feel civic pride in having done so.

Come on a Tidy-up – details of the next one can be found here. 

The future of our environment depends on the next generation developing an interest in it.  Bringing children to an organised litter-pick would be ideal, but even on walks or visits to the parks litter could be looked for and collected.  Children can be asked for their ideas on improvements and these can be passed to the BKV Co-ordinator or any member of the Parish Council for consideration.  Children can be encouraged to look around and notice the trees, plants and birdlife of their surroundings.  Your child may even want to help with the gardening!

Maintain a tidy front garden

No one can, or should, tell you how to design your own front garden.  Sometimes work and family commitments and adverse weather conditions can stop us from getting out there and cutting the grass, weeding between the block-paving, hoeing the borders, pruning the shrubs and dead-heading the dandelions, but keeping the bits other people can see tidy will give an impression of caring and will help the judges recognise our pride in our community.   

Clear up after the dog 

Please use  dog-waste bags and deposit them in a suitable bin.

Become a sponsor 

Sponsorship can become a very important part of BKV.  If you have a business in the village, in the surrounding areas, or would consider becoming a sponsor, please get in touch. 

If you are interested in any of the above and would like more information please contact any member of Rolleston Parish Council.