URCHFONT was celebrating on Sunday, as the village was awarded the Best Kept Medium Village in Wiltshire plaque by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

The prestigious award was presented to Urchfont Parish Council chairman, Graham Day, by Wiltshire Council chairman, Cllr James Sheppard, and the plaque was unveiled by Sarah Troughton, lord-lieutenant of Wiltshire.

Mr Day explained his joy at earning the 'very prestigious' title.

He said: "The whole village is very happy to be named the Best Kept Medium Village by the CPRE.

"This title reflects three years of extremely hard work from the community to make our village look so great.

"We haven't won this title since 2005, so this feels like a big deal to us."

Urchfont re-entered the competition in 2017, after a lengthy absence, and finished second in the local round.

In 2018, they tried again, only to finish second place for the second year running.

This is the third consecutive year they have entered.