Village near Aylesbury wins at Best Kept in Bucks 2022 awards

Aston Abbotts won the Tindall Cup as judges gave the neighbourhood near Aylesbury 195 out of 200 points.

The cup was contested by all the trophy winners at the last Best in Bucks event in 2019.

Chairman of the Best Kept Villages committee Bill Chapple awarded Aston Abbotts with the Tindall Cup on Saturday (24 September).

In June, a judging panel ranked competing villages on the quality of their facilities and environment.

Among the criteria villages were assessed on was: the quality of cemeteries and graveyards, how good their playgrounds and green fields are, and village hall facilities.

Also under consideration is whether the village is decorated by floral displays, plus more general assessments regarding the villages’ environment.

Judges were searching for hedges, verges, ponds, streams and pumps.

Residents of Aston Abbotts state it was a team effort, with people volunteering to complete litter picking, planting flowers, creating floral displays, and trimming hedges, to make sure their village triumphed.

One judge stated: “Aston Abbotts is a best-kept village in its truest sense.”

The judges were extremely impressed with the Churchyard. The grass was neatly mown and the wildlife area was striking.

Judges were pleased to see a list of grasses and flowers that was available to view inside the village church.

While noting that the war memorial was well kept.

Aston Abbotts also received praise for its children’s playing area, the grass surrounding the playground was “well mown”, the judges noted.

The bench and floral display in the corner of the field also drew praise from assessors.

Another judge added: “The bus stops, shelters and notice boards were extremely well maintained. The judges were very impressed with the notice boards on the green giving information about the history of the Village, the Abbey and the wartime role of the village in assisting the Czechoslovaks.”

At the previous Best Kept in Bucks showcase Aston Abbotts was once again a winner, claiming the Gurney Cup three years ago, for best village with a population under 500 people.

Judges concluded that there had been a real “community effort” that had helped keep the appearance of the village at such a high standard.