| BEST KEPT VILLAGE COMPETITION - CHIRTON SECOND AGAIN! |
| Position | Marks | Village |
| 1 | 73 | Shalbourne |
| 2 | 72 | Chirton |
| 3 | 73 | All Cannings |
| 4 | 65 | Broad Hinton |
| 5 | 58 | Oare |
| 6 | 57 | Baydon |
THE RESULTS ARE IN — and for the second year running, we're in second place, this time just one point behind Shalbourne
Chirton is in the Medium Villages category. The Small Villages category was won by Marden.
The judges' comments were all complimentary, as the marking sheet below reveals.
The competition is divided into three population categories — Small Villages: up to 300, Medium Villages: 301-1000, Large Villages: 1001-3500. This means that Chirton, excluding Conock which is considered as a village on its own, is classified as a Medium Village with a population, including children, of 320.
Chirton won the competition in 1977 and 1991.
| Catgory of typical features to be judged for overall effect, tidiness and general condition | Marks Awarded Max 20 |
Judges' Comments |
| Trees, hedges, walls, fences, banks, verges, residential gardens and outbuildings | 15 | Alll very nicely kept, including the main street and the two estates on the Marden road |
| Open spaces, (public and private) village greens, playing fields, allotments, ponds and streams, footpaths, rights-of-way, specified conservation areas | 14 | Well mown in a difficult year weather-wise |
| Public and community buildings and their surroundings, village halls, schools, bus shelters, telephone kiosks, upkeep and currency of public noticeboards | 14 | The two school sites are well presented |
| Churches and church halls and their surroundings, war memorials, memorial gardens and burial grounds | 15 | The church and churchyard are kept to a standard worthy of their pivotal position |
| Shops, public houses, workshops, garages, advertising displays, and their restraint, absence of fly-posting, litter and rubbish | 14 | Absence of litter is notable |
| Total for Categories 1-5 | 72 | MAXIMUM — 100 |
| Position in Best Kept Village Competition District Round | 2 | |
| Judges' Overall Comments | The village is relatively compact and able to present a good unified picture | |
Posted: 6 July 2008