THE village of Bratton officially received the ‘Winner of Winners’ award for the best kept village in Wiltshire, at the weekend. The village’s winning standard and shield were unveiled by the High Sherriff of Wiltshire, Lady Lansdowne. The event was also attended by representatives from CPRE Wiltshire; Anne Henshaw, chairman, and Carly Paoli, countryside ambassador.
Bratton won the Laurence Kitching Award, otherwise known as the ‘Winner of Winners’ competition, alongside five other villages that picked up awards in the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) best kept village competition over the past two years.
The winning six villages from 2021 and 2019 were not allowed to compete in the main competition, but were invited to enter the Laurence Kitching Award instead.
Chair of Bratton Parish Council, cllr Keith Rayward, received the commemorative plaque on behalf of the village and Tidy Bratton organiser, Peter Brabner, received the village’s new Ginkgo Biloba tree.
The commemorative tree was both donated and planted by CPRE Wiltshire’s countryside ambassador, Carly Paoli, who had flown back from singing the National Anthem in Milan at England’s first football match since the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Carly said as well as providing a lasting memory of the village’s success, everyone involved had decided to also dedicate the tree to the memory of Her Majesty.
She said, “Her Majesty donated a ginkgo biloba tree to Kew Gardens to mark its 250th anniversary, so I think it’s very fitting that this tree is planted in honour, not only of your community spirit, but of such an inspiring lady who was patron of the CPRE.”
Anne Henshaw, chairman of CPRE Wiltshire, spoke to the assembled residents to congratulate them for their hard work in making Bratton a winning village. But she reminded them that the work of protecting our rural landscapes and countryside way of life extended beyond the village boundaries.
“There is an awful lot to protect at the moment and mounting number of problems lying ahead,” she told the audience.
“Sadly, our new government can’t be described as being environmentally friendly so far. You’ve done a wonderful job of looking after your green fields, your lanes, hills and your village, but I don’t think the pressure will go off any time soon.”
She called on the crowd to, “continue to nurture your village, as you obviously do, but don’t forget the farmlands, the waterways – all those things which go to make up rural England.”
In their report on Bratton, the CPRE judges have said they “were immediately struck by how beautifully cared for the entire churchyard is”. In the heart of the village “everything was so neat and tidy which, given a busy road runs through it, was very commendable”. They added that their “overall impression was of a village with a tremendous amount going on, with a great team of people caring for it”.
Chair of Bratton Parish Council, cllr Keith Rayward said, “The importance of the event to me is that the residents in Bratton take a great pride in the village and support a wide range of parish activities; it is great that our achievement is recognised at a county level, and it is great that the CPRE is reinforcing this by providing these ‘Best Kept Village’ awards.
“I was personally gratified that Carli Paoli, who so kindly donated the splendid Ginkgo biloba tree, and the High Sheriff, who is the King’s representative, were gracious enough to allow us to dedicate the tree to the memory of her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth ll; and for our Rector, Rev’d Andrew Sinclair, for his prayer of dedication.”
