Sleaford-area communities collect Best Kept Village honours

Harlaxton and Stubton both received a golden bin as respective winners of the large and small village categories in the competition.

Thurlby was second in the large village category, and Fulbeck third; Swinstead, meanwhile, was second in the small village category and Welby third.

As well as the golden bin, winning villages received a cheque for £400. Those in second, received £300, while £200 was the prize for third place. All the winners received a commemorative certificate.

Coun Rosemary Trollope-Bellew, cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, presented awards of alongside Steffie Shields, chairman of the Lincolnshire Gardens Trust, which helped with final judging.

She said: “I want to thank all our winners for their commitment and to encourage even more of the community pride that shines through in this competition.

“By showing villages where and how they can improve their scores, we can help make our villages even more beautiful. One of our winners requested those details last year and managed to get an award this year.

“It’s been another great year, and there are extra benefits from assessing the general state of villages. It flags up areas that need attention, so that we can direct our clean teams to address issues.”

About 100 villages and hamlets across the district were visited.

The council is now offering to share final judging scores with parish councils wishing to improve their chances of future success in the annual competition.

For scores, email Steve Frisby on [email protected]