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The
picturesque village of St Neot is celebrating becoming the Best
Village in the South West.
"We
were beaten by what we would consider a town with 3000 people in
Cambridgeshire," says Martin Eddy who co-ordinated the entry.
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| The
new school is almost finished |
"There
is a lot going on with a new school opening in the spring and major
work has been carried out on the church.
St
Neot may only have 350 people living there, 900 in the parish, but
there is plenty to keep you busy.
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| There
is always plenty going on in the village hall |
"There
are about 40 clubs and organisations that use the village hall,"
says Martin. "I wanted to book the hall myself during January and
February, and there was not one day or night that was free!"
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| These
wheels represent the St Neot of yesteryear |
The
village has its origins in mining and the wool trade. It has grown
over the years and community spirit is a major part of St Neot's
success.
History
"The
historic core of the village is built around two strengths, tin
streaming and the medieval wool trade," explains Martin.
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| The
bridge in the centre of the village |
"Years
ago an elderly lady said to me that her Grandfather had trouble
struggling to walk over the bridge as the miners came off shift.
The volume of men walking over the bridge made it hard for the Grandfather
to walk in the opposite direction!"
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| The
Post Office in St Neot |
The
Post Office is housed in one of the many old 15/16th century cottages
that are right in the core of the village.
Famous
windows
"The
church had problems with water coming into the tower, the whole
church was covered in scaffolding. We had a massive crane lift scaffolding
on and off. It dominated the whole village for a time," remembers
Martin.
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| One
of the famous church windows |
"The
church has the most complete set of medieval stained glass windows
anywhere in England. People come from all over the place to see
these amazing 15th and 16th Century windows."
One
of the famous windows has been removed for a complete face lift.
"The
window shows St George fighting the dragon. We have been given a
grant of 拢32,000 to have the window completely restored," says Martin.
"It has gone up to York to be restored. Each panel had to be chipped
out, packed in boxes and transported all those miles."
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| The
London Inn was used as a coaching inn when St Neot was one of
the stops on the way to London |
Martin
was born in the village. He was very proud to go up to London to
receive the award for Best Village in the South West on behalf of
St Neot.
Martin
and fellow villager John O'Neill received the award from Princess
Anne and 91热爆 broadcaster John Humphries.
St
Neot carried off the regional category prizes for young people,
older people and community life, as well as the overall regional
title.
In
their report of the village the judges stated:
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"St
Neot is a warm, energetic, happy and caring community that,
although small in size, has a very big heart."
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"On
the August Bank Holiday we had a massive flower festival," remembers
Martin.
"There
were arrangements in every nook and crannie. The whole festival
over the course of a week took 拢42,000."
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| One
of the many flower displays at the festival |
"The
judges of the village competition went very quiet, when we told
them how much was raised, I think they were very surprised,"
smiles Martin.
"There
has been 拢150,000 worth of work carried out on the church. Through
our own fundraising and grant aid we are more or less clear of any
debt."
No
place like home
Martin
grew up in the village and for a while worked away from the county.
"Cornwall
is a funny place in the sense that it brings you back and I have
been back here for 20 years," says Martin.
"It
is a great place to live with a super sense of community spirit
here. There is a lot of support for yourself and your family. People
really care about what you do and that is priceless."
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