BEST KEPT VILLAGE 2025

BELLERBY WINS Best Kept Village 2025

For 17 years now Richmond Rotary Club has organised a Best Kept Village award and this year’s winner is Bellerby, which also won two years ago. Aldbrough St John also received a prize for community involvement; Melsonby and West Scrafton received awards for the encouragement of the natural environment; and for the first time this year Colburn Village was recognised as the most improved of the many villages taking part. There was also a highly recommended category.

Rotarian Jos Huddleston, who organised the event praised the hard work and creativity of all participants and said that the overall standard was judged to be extremely high. He explained the way the wide-ranging contest works: 

‘We send out judges to all the villages during the same two weeks in July. The competition highlights the beautiful village greens, houses, gardens and other shared spaces and buildings. In addition, it focuses on the effort all villages are making to highlight and enhance natural areas, meadows, churchyards, streams, woodland and wild areas, improving the habitat for wildlife. Judges noted wildflower areas, special plantings of shrubs and trees along with woodpiles, insect hotels, and a wide variety of bird feeding stations and nesting boxes. Also this year, they added a focus on Community Life by awarding a special prize for good communication, seating and meeting spaces and access, as well as the many recreational pursuits. The villages enrich the lives of all in so many creative ways.

After the first scoring a second visit by different judges is organised to the front runners to be sure that the scores are fair’, he said. 

Receiving the winning prize of £400, Chair of Bellerby Parish Council, John Hutchinson said, ‘Thank you to Richmond Rotary Club for giving their time and donating prizes, and also a big thanks to the Bellerby villagers for keeping our village looking so beautiful all year round.’

Richmond Rotary Club President, John Morton, presented a cheque to Bellerby this week and said that he was delighted that the competition encouraged so many people to participate and take pride in their locality. He thanked the judges and said: ‘There is every reason to be proud of the area where we live, and all our beautiful villages well deserve the recognition that Rotary gives them through this annual competition.’