Community Empowerment Awards 2007

National best practice champions announced

The national winners of the Community Empowerment Awards have been announced. At a presentation ceremony on 5 October 2007 at the NALC Annual Conference and Exhibition, Buntingford Parish Council, Hertfordshire, Smarden Parish Council, Kent, and Lighthorne Heath Parish Council, Warwickshire, were announced as the 2007 national winners in the categories of Young People, Older People, and Housing respectively.

This is the second year that the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC), in association with the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), has run the Community Empowerment awards. The awards were developed in order to help the CRC establish an experience sharing network across the country, and the response to the new scheme has been excellent.

Dr Stuart Burgess, chairman of the Commission for Rural Communities commented, "These best practice champions are there for you to use throughout the year. It is by sharing experiences bad and good that the sector can benefit, and serve communities to the best of our abilities."

Cllr Ken Cleary, chairman of NALC said: "At this time when the profile of town and parish councils are more prevalent in the minds of central government and other key decision makers than at any other juncture in the past, these best practice champions will help to provide others with the tools to assist in the day to day workings of councils, and enable to sector to meet the challenges of empowering communities and citizens."

In addition to the national award winners the judges felt that there were councils in each category whose work they particularly wanted to highlight and also added a Highly Commended Award. Winners of this award include Yattendon Parish Council, and Wingham Parish Council.

Each of the national winners will receive a contribution of £1000, to use towards a community project in their area. The highly commended councils will receive an additional £600 for a community project.

Full list of winners

Young People

Buntingford Town Council, Hertfordshire - Winner

• Proactive an innovative project, with ideas to build on for the future.
• It is encouraging participation and democracy in a real way.
• Shows the problems which were encountered and how they were overcome.
• Focus on turning young people into citizens

Caddington Parish Council - Highly Commended

Ufton Parish Council - Highly Commended

Older People

Smarden Parish Council, Kent - Winner

• Offers a range of activities, includes social and practical aspects.
• It is innovative, and older people are not just passive participants.
• The scheme helped to keep people in the village. The project didn't just stop when the shelter accommodation project was going to take time; they looked at solutions which could be implemented now.
• The scheme has also provided a connection between young people and old people.

Morpeth Town Council - Highly Commended

Housing

Lighthorne Heath Parish Council, Warwickshire - winner

• Not just about housing but an integrated package.
• Based on the starting point of the parish council itself, the progress which they have made is phenomenal. Negative start to a positive outcome.
• The council actively went out and involved families who had given up hope, to show them that things can be achieved.

Yattendon Parish Council - Highly Commended

Wingham Parish Council  - Highly Commended