Moulton wins Best Kept Village competition

Richmond Rotary President Chris Kirby and John Gentry, Chair of Moulton Parish Meeting, along with residents and Rotary members.

Moulton has won the annual Richmond Rotary Club Best Kept Village competition.

The villages of  Bellerby and Reeth were runners up in the competition which has been running for more than ten years.

Seventeen villages took part and the overall standard was judged to be the highest ever.

This is the fourth time that Moulton has topped the list.

Rotary Club member Norman Brown praised the efforts of participants and explained the way the wide-ranging contest works:

“We send judges to all the villages during the same two weeks in July and they are scored on over fifteen criteria ranging from public spaces and private gardens to the condition of bus shelters, shops, guest houses and inns.

“Villages without some features are not penalised. After the first scoring a second visit is organised to the front runners to be sure that the scores are fair.”

Receiving the winning prize of £400, Moulton’s chair of the Parish Meeting John Gentry said: “This has really been a team effort. Everyone in the village pulls together and although it’s a lot of effort we are delighted that Moulton has won again.”

Richmond Rotary Club President Chris Kirby presented a cheque to Moulton and said that he was delighted that the competition encouraged so many people to participate and take pride in their locality.

He added: “There is every reason to be proud of the area where we live and our beautiful villages well deserve the recognition that Rotary gives them through this annual competition.”