The picturesque village of Selborne is in the running for the Calor Gas village of the year for England competition. Following the success of the village in last year's Calor Gas Hampshire village of the year competition, Selborne is now in the running against 39 other English villages for the coveted title. The first round of the competition took place on Tuesday, April 17, in Selborne Village Hall, where committed residents made a presentation to a panel of judges. The presentation began with an introduction from five Selborne School pupils, who despite not having a great amount of time to practice, gave a good and heartfelt speech to the judges. The presentation then went on to show what makes Selborne so special. Rachael Barber, a bell ringer for the village, said: "Selborne is more than a place on the map between major roads. It has great facilities, social events and a strong sense of community." The villages competing will be assessed by a panel of expert judges on six different criteria: building community life; business; young people; older people, the environment and information communication technology. The presentation showed Selborne has something to offer residents of all ages and combined with the recent refurbishment of the village hall, the community is going from strength to strength. The feeling of community was further supported by the fact that the biscuits garnishing the tables were made by bell-ringer Anita Seamons and the tea and coffee were made by volunteers. Gathered around the walls of the village hall were presentation stalls from the societies, schools and events that make Selborne so unique. Displays by the Pavilion pre-school, Gilbert White's House museum, the parish council, Selborne Players, the lunch club, youth club and others showed judges the diverse range of activities Selborne can offer. Imogen Rayner, from the Gilbert White museum told The Herald how they help to encourage a sense of community: "Residents of Selborne receive free entry to the museum and gardens, which is an unusual thing to offer but it is important to us to have a good relationship with local people." Improvements around the village are also helping to increase a sense of community. Hayley Carter, landlady of The Selborne Arms and member of Selborne Parish Council told The Herald: "There have been improvements made to the village, which have really improved local pride. The lion's mouth fountain looks brilliant now, following it's recent restoration and The Plestor is soon to be revamped." Amanda Martin, also a member of the parish council said: "There is something for everyone here and often once people have moved here they don't want to leave. "Residents get out of the village what they put in; It's the people of Selborne that make it what it is." The Calor village of The year for England competition for this year has a total prize fund of over £36,000 with a top prize of £7,000 for the village crowned the overall winner. Results of the first round competition will be announced in July.