Bill Dyer keeps up the good work in Colerne (16890/5) HANDYMAN Bill Dyer is as pleased as punch that Colerne has been named the best kept large village in Wiltshire.

The 69-year-old, of Forrester Green, has been sweeping the roads, cutting the grass and killing the weeds for the past five years on behalf of the parish council and now his efforts have paid off.

Colerne beat off stiff competition from Holt, Whiteparish and Great Bedwyn to be announced as the tip-top village in the county in the contest organised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

Mr Dyer, who was a bus driver before he retired, said: "It's not just me, it's been a real team effort. Peter Law looks after the playing field and Joan Kelly keeps the bus shelter and war memorial tidy.

"People ask me why I do it, and I always say it gets me out, keeps me fit and helps me meet people. I want to put something back into the village.

"Winning this award is absolutely great. It makes it all worthwhile."

Parish council chairman Dick Tonge was equally thrilled.

"It's tremendous news for the village," he said. "We are all very pleased and it's a credit to everyone who helps keep it clean and tidy."

Branch chairman of Wiltshire CPRE, George McDonic, commented: "The Best Kept Village competition has been a very closely fought affair this year.

"The standards of the district winners were extremely good, which meant the judges had a particularly difficult task selecting the county winners."

Villagers in Marston are celebrating winning the small village category for the first time. The best it had achieved previously was winning the district round of the competition.

Despite being a small village Marston, near Devizes, has 19 acres of common land, which is looked after by Marston Parish Council. A newly added feature of Marston Common is a pond, which is attracting wildlife such as sticklebacks and tadpoles.

Parish council chairman Brian Cole said: "I think the pond may have been the cause of Marston getting the points to win.

"The idea for the pond came from a parish meeting. We formed a committee to research, design and fundraise for it. There were lots of coffee mornings held and donations from villagers to raise the amount needed and everyone is pleased with it."

The council pays a contractor to cut the grass on Marston Common but inmates from Erlestoke Prison, near Devizes. help keep the verges tidy.

Winner of the medium villages category was Urchfont, near Devizes. It is the fifth time it has won this category. Peter Newell, chairman of Urchfont Parish Council, said: "We enter the competition every year and we put a lot of work in making sure the village looks tidy.

"We are delighted to have won and it reflects a lot of hard work and commitment by local residents."

Results

Small villages

1st: Marston (Kennet)

2nd: Upper and Lower Seagry

3rd: Great Hinton

4th: West Dean

Medium villages

1st: . Urchfont

2nd: Charlton

3rd: Coombe Bissett

4th: Shaw

Large villages

1st: Colerne

2nd equal: Holt and Whiteparish

4th: Great Bedwyn