Nettleham Named 'Best Kept Village', Again!

Above: Nettleham Beck

Nettleham village, just north of Lincoln, has again been name one of the county’s best kept village in an annual competition.

Lincolnshire’s Best Kept Villages & Small Towns is an annual competition that celebrates villages all around the county. Nettleham came top of the Class III 'large villages' category, with Washingborough, south of Lincoln, gaining second place. Other winners in different categories include Scothern, Caistor, Butterwick and Silk Willowby.

Nettleham has been successful in Class III for a number of years, winning the category eleven times, coming second five times and third twice over the past half century, and in 2012 was jointly named champion of champions with Tealby.

Local Councillor Giles McNeill, Conservative (Nettleham Ward), said:

“Nettleham is a beautiful village thanks to the hard work of both Parish Council and local residents.
“Once again I am proud that we have won against stiff competition.”

The Best Kept Villages and Small Towns Competition started in 1962 by Lincolnshire Branch CPRE and Community Lincs. It aims to encourage residents in those areas to 'appreciate their surroundings and take pride in the communities in which they live'.

West Lindsey is Home to Lincolnshire's Best Kept Village

Residents and parish councillors gathered in Nettleham this week for the unveiling of a bench recognising the village as one of the best kept in Lincolnshire.



Photo: M. Leaning

Nettleham was named as joint winner of the Best Kept Village 50th Anniversary award, organised by Community Lincs. Sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund, this special award was given to Nettleham - and also to Tealby - for having the most consistent scores in the past 50 years of the competition.
Pennells Garden Centres, which sponsor the annual award and donate trees to the winning villages each year, donated a bench to both of the overall winners. Managing director Richard Pennell said:

“These two villages over the years have been consistently good. The enthusiasm of the people involved and the care that they take is great.”

The Lincolnshire Best Kept Village competition has been run by Community Lincs since 1962. In that time Nettleham has won its category (for villages between 2,001 and 7,000 residents) 11 times, most recently in 2010. Tealby has won its category eight times, coming second on 10 occasions.

Speaking at the presentation of the bench on Nettleham village green, chairman of Nettleham Parish Council Cllr Terry Williams said: “This was very much a tri-partite effort. It was an effort on the part of our residents, businesses and the parish council.

“I thank the residents all for their contribution over a 50 year period, for making sure our gardens are kept neat and tidy.

“I also thank the businesses around the village for making sure their premises are neat and tidy and making sure they have flower displays.

“The contribution of the parish council has been making sure the verges are tidy and cut.”

Co-ordinator of the awards for Community Lincs, Teresa Palmer, said villages were judged on their presentation, including whether there was any litter, how memorials and churchyards were kept, whether wildlife is catered for, and community spirit. She said:

“One of the strong points of Nettleham is there are so many different groups and so much going on for all age groups.”

West Lindsey District Council has supported the competition for many years and both Nettleham district councillors, Cllr. Giles McNeill, Conservative and Cllr Malcolm Leaning, Liberal Democrat, attended the presentation. Cllr. Malcolm Leaning said:

 “I am delighted my home village of Nettleham, where I was born, has come equal first over the past 50 years in the ‘Best Kept Village in Lincolnshire’ competition.

“Having been a member of Nettleham Parish Council for 48 years I can remember the first time we voted to enter the competition in 1967 – which was also the first time we won it!

“The award of a seat will ‘sit’ and be well used on Nettleham village green.”

For more information go to http://lincolnshirebestkeptvillages.co.uk

Nettleham Through to the Final of the Best Kept Village Competition

Nettleham has made it into the final round of a best kept village competition.

The village is one of three to make the shortlist in its category (class three) for Lincolnshire’s Best Kept Villages and Small Market Towns Competition, which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary.

Nettleham, which is in class three, has been selected alongside Woodhall Spa and Langtoft as finalists.

Competition organiser Teresa Palmer said:

“In class three last years winners Woodhall Spa are defending their title against the two extremes of Langtoft who have never won before and Nettleham who are eleven-time winners.”

The winning community from this category is also being judged in an additional celebratory competition and could win £200 for floral displays. The winners will be announced in October.

Boundary Planters & Village Hall Blamed for Best Kept Village Failure

Above: Nettleham's score sheet
(click to enlarge).

Nettleham Village Hall and the Planters at the village limits are to blame for the failure of Nettleham to make it through to the second round of judging in the Lincolnshire Best Kept Village Competition.

As reported on this blog (here) Nettleham fell out of the race to be named Lincolnshire's Best Kept Village in the third category; Large Village or Small Town earlier this month. Hard work by the staff of Nettleham Parish Council has led to the release of the score sheet months before it would normally be available. One judge comments:

"First impression were good, but the appearance of the Village Hall and the flower boxes at two approaches to the village were noticeably disappointing."

Nettleham Village Hall is currently scheduled for major renovation works this August with a new roof and new toilet facilities. Nettleham Parish Council is committing the majority of the funding for the project (£60k-£70k) whilst the Village Hall Committee is contributing around £20,000.

The wooden planters, installed at a number of the entrances of the village, a few years ago, were done so without the fulsome endorsement of the Parish Council at the time. However, councillors were, narrowly, minded to approve the scheme. The matter was discussed at some length at the May meeting of Nettleham Parish Council's Property Committee.

Nettleham is Best Kept Village - Again!

Nettleham residents will be feeling mighty pleased to once again have been award first place in the Lincolnshire Best Kept Village and Small Towns Competition 2010.

The competition, entered into by Nettleham Parish Council, has a number of categories and the village compete is the third category for villages with a population of between 2,001 - 7,000 residents.

Writing to the Parish Clerk the organisers said:

"Congratulations to your community on winning your class in this year's competition again.  The marks have been very close which is the hall mark of a high standard of competition and you can with justification feel very proud of the achievement of your community.  The residents of Nettleham obviously pull together to make it a nice place to be."

The Parish Council will receive a plaque to erect marking the achievement, a certificate and a tree.

Nettleham Parish Councillor, Giles McNeill said:

"I am really proud of how our community works so hard year in year out to be leaders in this competition. I also want to praise the staff of the Parish Council who work hard to remove any grafitti or other detritus swiftly, ensure that fences are readily repaired and that contractors complete grass cutting to the high standards expected of the Council. I must also praise those people in the village who volunteer their time to go litter picking."

Nettleham is Best Kept Village - Again!

I am very pleased to inform readers that Nettleham has once again won the Best Kept Village competition, beating Holton-Le-Clay and Heckington.

Well done to everyone who works so hard to keep Nettleham to the high standard we have become accostomed to.

Nettleham Wins 1st Place in the Best Kept Village Competition

Nettleham has won 1st place in the 2008 Best Kept Village Competition in the Large Villages and Small Towns Class.

Giles McNeill:

I am delighted that the village has won this accolade. Local people have worked so hard in the past twelve months to make the village resplendent again after the 2007 floods.