A WILTSHIRE village chosen by a Japanese film crew for epitomising the British way of life has won a regional award.

The prize of cash was presented by TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh at an awards ceremony in London last week.

Colerne parish council clerk Pat Phillips said: "It's really great news for the village. So many people worked hard to prepare for the visit of the judges for the Calor Village of the Year competition.

"We are really pleased that our community has been recognised. The longevity and vigour of our older people obviously made an impression on the judges.

"We put this down to the air up here on the top of our hill."

Colerne won the Older People category in the Southern and South East England region of the competition, competing against villages from Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, East Sussex and West Sussex.

Mrs Phillips and parish council chairman Dick Tonge attended the gala event.

Coun Tonge also thanked all those who helped.

He said: "It was quite a challenge particularly as a film crew from the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation filmed the judges' visit and spent nearly two weeks here interviewing people," he said.

"We will be receiving a copy of the programme soon and plan to make it available for everyone to see. I not sure how many people here speak Japanese but at least we will be able to see pictures and personalities of our village."

The film company gave the village £400 and Colerne won £500 in the Calor contest.

"Now we have a total of £900 in our coffers to spend in the village," Coun Tonge said.

"We are all proud to have been the winners of the competition."

The village was presented with a certificate and the cash prize by Mr Titchmarsh and Calor's managing director, Howard Kerr.

Mr Kerr said: "Congratulations, not just to the winning villages in the competition, but to all the villages that have taken part.

"Calor Village of the Year is a great opportunity for communities to evaluate what they have achieved over recent years and, from what I have seen and heard at this ceremony, they should all be really proud of their achievements."

The competition judges look for well-balanced, pro-active caring communities which, irrespective of size, have made the best of local opportunities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all residents.

Colerne impressed competition judges with its self-reliance and tremendous vitality.

They found it to be a caring community where a large number of people give their time and skills voluntarily to work on a wide range of activities.

After visiting the village, judges observed that with many of the families living in Colerne consisting of several generations, the village strives to cater for all ages.

A luncheon club is run by volunteers for older people in the village hall every week.

There is also a weekly whist drive and a weekly afternoon tea organised by volunteers, and British Legion meetings.

Mr Kerr said: "The 2003 Calor Village of the Year competition has proved a huge success yet again, highlighting some wonderful community projects and providing an opportunity for villages to assess the needs of their residents.

"Standards are getting higher every year, showing the positive effects the competition is having."

For more information on the Calor Village of the Year competition visit www.villageoftheyear.org or call (01926) 318634.