The character of Essex villages was celebrated this week as communities including Stebbing, Rivenhall and Writtle gained top honours in the annual Village of the Year and Best Kept Village competitions.

Stebbing, near Great Dunmow, took the top title, being named Village of the Year in the competition organised by the Rural Community Council of Essex.

Director Nick Shuttleworth said: "Stebbing is now reaping the benefit of years of hard work."

The village has recently completed several large-scale projects -- restoration of the former United Reformed Church chapel and the historic Friends' Meeting House, which are now both in regular community use, the building of two tennis courts and the setting up of its own website.

The village also has a successful magazine, a well-used community bus, a newly adopted management plan for Stebbing Green and a full programme of community events for its population of 1,500.

Rivenhall, with a population of around 380, was named runner-up and also won the small villages class of the Best Kept Village competition.

"Rivenhall has a very strong sense of its own identity, which it is determined to keep, despite being bordered by Witham on one side and the A12 on the other," said Mr Shuttleworth.

"As our judges found, there is a strong village heart which local people want to build on."

Writtle, Blackmore, Lang-ham, Rivenhall and Little Bentley were outright winners in the Best Kept Village competition, with Holland-on-Sea, Kelvedon, Stebbing, Hempstead and Langley taking runners-up honours.

Merit awards went to Wivenhoe, Stanway, Stan-sted, Layer de la Haye, Roxwell, Little Easton, Rivenhall End, Feering, Great Bentley, Shalford, Colne Engaine and Cornish Hall End.

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