Hot TOPICS 
Bishopstrow wins again
(December 05, 2008)Bishopstrow is the tops in keeping up appearances in the eyes of those who should know writes Paul Macdonald.
In an annual competition organised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and judged by councillors from outside the area the village beat dozens of others to be declared the best kept small village in west Wiltshire.
For the second time this decade the picturesque village on the River Wylye, with a cricket pitch, church, and village hall will now be compared with other winning rural communities from a wider area.
The village, which has a plaque on the front of the village hall declaring 'this community is recorded in the Domesday Book 1086', also gained the same plaudits in 2003.
Certificates were presented to three different sized successful villages by Cllr Julie Swabey, Chairman of West Wiltshire District Council.
Bishopstrow Parish Council chair Cllr Anthony Potter was presented with the certificate for being the best in comparison with small villages.
Winsley, near Bradford-on-avon won the large village section, and Steeple Ashton near Trowbridge won the award for best medium village.
Cllr Swabey said: “The Best Kept Village competition is a fantastic example of local communities working together, and my congratulations go to the residents of Winsley, Steeple Ashton and Bishopstrow for their success.”