"SECRET" judges will soon be making unannounced visits across the county to find Worcestershire's best kept village.
The competition, organised by the Council for the Protection of Rural England and the Worcestershire Federation of Women's Institutes, will see 24 villages competing for honours.
And the criterias the judges will be using include how pro-active and caring their communities are, business facilities, events on offer for old and young people, environmental schemes and information technology facilities.
"We have 10 teams of two judges, a representative each from CPRE and the WI," said Rosemary Roberts, organiser on behalf of CPRE.
"Judging is a very demanding and responsible job and, to a large extent, the success of the competition hinges upon the credibility and fairness of the judging process."
Villagers will be competing in one of three categories based upon population levels. From those challenging for the largest class - 701 to 2,000 people - the winning entry will go on to compete against others in England and Wales for the Calor Gas Village of the Year title.
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