CHIDDINGFOLD is looking a picture of loveliness this week as villagers celebrate it being judged a runner-up in this year's Surrey Village of the Year competition. Pipped at the post by Brockam, near Dorking, the village, which hasn't entered the competition for many years, is delighted with its success. "It is a brilliant result," said the chairman of Chiddingfold Parish Council, Christine Tebbot. It is no longer a competition relying on the picturesque chocolate box vista. Local organisers of the Calor Village of the Year Competition, Surrey Community Action, now also want to concentrate on the sort of community facilities and activities provided for its residents, whatever their age. "I'm pretty certain the establishment of The Chiddingfold Churches Care Centre, known as 4C, and its new community support network neighbourhood-helper scheme helped," said Mrs Tebbot. The scheme has 95 good neighbours and reaches out to newcomers and others in the village, including elderly people and young mums in need of a helping hand. Split up into small teams, volunteers each cover some 10 homes within the scattered parish, providing a welcoming presence to new and long- standing residents. Run by volunteers through a joint management committee, it is supported by the churches of the village, including St Mary's Parish Church, St Teresa's Roman Catholic Church and Chiddingfold Baptist Church. The initiative also runs a successful drop-in coffee shop at the football pavilion and celebrated its first birthday last month. Open three afternoons a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, it has become a popular meeting place for families and friends. Among other new facilities in the village is the doctors' surgery in Ridgley Road, which moved from its overcrowded and outdated building in Woodside Road earlier this year. It received star-studded treatment when it was officially opened by TV presenter Anthea Turner last month and provides residents with up-to-date medical facilities. Also making an impact in the village is the formation of an adventure playground within the grounds of the village school of St Mary's, which has been evolving over several years. "We don't have large school grounds which is why parents have spent time developing it," continued Mrs Tebbot. The school, too, has seen expansion within recent years with a new school hall and other buildings. This has paved the way for the growing population of children and the need for all-through primary school education. Long-overdue drainage work has also been carried out on the recreation ground in Coxcombe Lane "The whole competition is looking at how the community is developing and how we are bringing new facilities into Chiddingfold, especially focusing on those for children," said Mrs Tebbot. Sharing the runners-up rostrum with Lingfield and Buckland, Thursley also came out on top as the winner of the Building Community Life section, sponsored by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural affairs, DEFRA. "All did incredibly well making our decisions so difficult," said one of the three judges, Angela Gilmour. "Each village has so much to offer, a real spirit of community. The chief executive of Surrey Community Action, Jean Roberts-Jones, said that judges had spent at least half a day in each area. "We let villagers tell us what they felt proud of and talk us round the informal visits," said Mrs Roberts- Jones. This is the first such competition to take place for two years and Mrs Roberts-Jones is hoping that more than the five villages which entered this year will take part in the 2006 competition. In post for about a year, she is now also hoping that the villages which entered will provide some feedback on this year's event in time for the launch of next year's competition at the end of 2005. "We'd love to hear from villages who didn't take part to find out what we can to do make the competition more attractive to entrants. "All the villages have different aspects on providing improvements or service, but we felt that Brockham had that little bit of an edge this year, with a slightly wider range of activities across the board. "But you never know next year." Presentations for the parish teams will take place at Peaslake Village Hall on September 22 and will be made by the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Sarah Goad.
