VILLAGERS are rallying to make their community the best in Wiltshire in a bid to persuade judges it should win a title later this year.

Urchfont Best has been chosen as the title for the group set up in the village near Devizes after a poll showed that most people thought it should enter this year's Wiltshire Best Kept Village Competition.

The contest organised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England is a coveted award and many Wiltshire villages vie for the top honours.

John Chapman of Urchfont Best said: "We invited potential interested organisations, clubs, societies and individuals to consider whether Urchfont should enter the competition. The response was unanimously positive.

"We decided on Urchfont Best as our title, the industrious honey bee as our badge, and our motif and our aim as is making our community a better place to live, work and play

"Whilst winning the prize, which we have won before, would be marvellous, we are much more interested in using the competition to promote, enliven, bring together and celebrate our wonderful community."

Getting rid of litter and dog mess have been put at the top of the list for impressing judges and wheelie bins and black boxes are to be kept out of view wherever possible.

Mr Chapman said: "Excessive manicuring of public areas and gardens is not at all expected. For example, properly managed areas for wild flowers and wildlife is positively encouraged."