Leonard Stanley Bledisloe Cup

VILLAGE LIFE - BLEDISLOE CUP WINNERS 2007
Leonard Stanley has WON the 2007 Bledisloe Cup for the best kept village in Gloucestershire (medium sized village). The cup was presented to chair of the Parish Council, Mair Forder, at a ceremony on the village green on Saturday 3rd November by the chairman of the Gloucestershire branch of the CPRE, Sir. John Adye. Well done village! Under the auspices of the Council for the Protection of Rural England, the Bledisloe Cup is an annual competition which takes place to find the 'Best Kept Villages' in Gloucestershire. Leonard Stanley last won the cup in 2003 and has now taken the 2007 prize after a closely run final round competing against the village of Blakeney.

Bledisloe Cup presentation - 3rd November 2007

The Bledisloe sign is here! As winners of the Bledisloe Cup, the village has been given custody of a sign for one year. The tradition, apparently when you win, is to travel to last years winning village and claim the sign. We did this on Saturday and the sign is now in Leonard Stanley by the War Memorial. Thanks to Paul Mukasa for carrying out this task. Take a walk around there and have a look at it.
THE JUDGE'S FINDINGS
Campaign to Protect Rural England ‑ Gloucestershire Bledisloe Cup 2007 Final Judge's Report by John Davidson OBE Medium village: Leonard Stanley Background Anyone looking at an Ordnance Survey map could be forgiven for placing Leonard Stanley as a suburb of Greater Stroud. It looks to be part of the loose urban fabric of this part of Gloucestershire. But on the ground, in the historic core, the feeling is quite different. It is hard to attach the label 'urban' to a place which has a working farm, with cattle, within sniffing distance of the church and pub, and with impressive open views towards the Cotswold scarp, But take a 180 degree turn and the modern housing comes into prospect making this a village where the old and the new, the urban and the rural, combine to make it the place it is. As for the community, it is difficult for the casual visitor to gain any real insight into what is going on in any unfamiliar place simply by wandering round and chatting to the odd person here and there. The residents of Leonard Stanley have made things easy for Bledisloe Cup judges, and themselves, by the skilful use of modern information technology. The village website is quite superb. It is up to date, informative, inclusive of all interests and contains a mine of information. Without leaving the desk it is possible to take a guided tour of all the historic buildings, the inside and outside of St Swithun's church and even see a video of the floods that swept through the village in July. Such a venture could not be mounted without effective leadership and teamwork among all the contributors. Report and map The hand drawn sketch map served its purpose admirably. It had the roads named and 17 numbered sites listed in a key. The report dwelt upon activities underway and planned, and emphasised the many positive steps being taken to ensure continued vitality. Findings The following features of the village are singled out for comment: The 72 village allotments are beautifully situated on land, which rises towards the escarpment. They are very well used with few vacant plots and a high standard of cultivation. The Trustees allocate any surplus income to students from the village. The playing field and recreation ground is a central feature. Two tennis courts are there to be used by residents free of charge; there is a well designed play area for children and there is seating at intervals around the green space used for cricket and football. If 1 were a spectator, particularly in summer, 1 think 1 would appreciate more seating. An area near the tennis courts is kept in a relatively wild state, with buddleia and crab apples, to attract birds and wildlife. Some tree planting has been done, more could be planned. The sports pavilion is functional and unobtrusive largely because it has been painted in a carefully chosen tint of blue/grey. The scout clubhouse, on the edge of the village, is an impressive building. It is rather hidden behind high hedges and has a good sized plot of grass in front of it kept open, no doubt, for various scouting activities. It would benefit from having a few trees. The one that has been planted near the entrance appears to have died. The village environmental group (VEG), recently formed, has got off to a flying start by winning an Awards for All grant from the national lottery. The group aims to raise awareness of the environment in its widest sense. A launch evening has been held and a range of activities are planned. A poster on display on a telegraph pole advertising an 'amazing moths’ evening may well be one of the many new ideas being piloted. The stated aim is to work towards a permanent Heritage Trail. One can only be impressed by what one assumes to be the enterprise of a few committed people acting in a manner designed to engage the support of many more. An even more recent initiative is the Leonard Stanley Village Enterprise Trust. Its mission statement is bang up to date in its thinking by looking to 'social enterprise', as well as business itself, as the best way to promote sustainable rural activities. How this group converts its ideas into tangible projects on the ground will be interesting to see. The group seems to have the support and goodwill of the Parish Council and is clearly adept at searching out potential sources of funds for its projects. Among the many interlocking networks within the village the Twinning Association, founded in 1970, is still going strong. The link with Dozule in Northern France has allowed strong bonds to be formed between the two communities. How strong can be seen by the new road sign along the church wall proclaiming that that Dozule is 355 kms distant; it will no doubt become the starting point for sponsored walks, swims and bicycle rides, Whether the charity 'Target Nairobi', seen advertised in a window, indicates an intention to link with a developing country is not clear. A Parish plan was produced a few years ago. The village is pleased to have been given a grant of £1500 by the District Council to review and update the plan in the coming year. With so many creative and strategic thinkers in Leonard Stanley, and a strong set of local societies, it will be worth following the progress of the work to see how the people of this pioneering village intend to influence the future. After all it cannot be a continuous repetition of the past. Recommendation in the medium village class Both Blakeney and Leonard Stanley are well managed and looked after with care. There is nothing more than a hairs breadth between them as far as their physical appearance is concerned. 1 therefore turn to the less tangible characteristics to decide to which village the award should go. Blakeney can show considerable progress in implementing the Parish plan written 5 years ago. Lots has happened with which the village can be proud. In selecting Leonard Stanley for the award 1 am influenced not only by what has been done but by the foundations that have been laid to do even more. The network of organisations in the village, two of which have been formed fairly recently as vehicles for raising money and promoting change, seem to have the capacity and the will to come together to make things happen. The website seems to provide the key to unlocking much of the community activity by letting people know what is going on and how they can contribute. The exemplary way in which the village makes use of this modern medium of communication is, for me, therefore, the deciding factor.