Catching up with Frampton Mansell, Runner Up in Gloucestershire Village of the Year 2025
How has their competition success affected the village?
In preparation for our launch of Gloucestershire Village of the Year 2026, we've been catching up with Frampton Mansell, the winner of the overall Runner Up prize in last year's competition.
Frampton Mansell is a very small community of only about 150 inhabitants, but it wowed the Village of the Year judges with how enthusiastic everyone was about their community, how many brilliant village activities happen there, and how welcoming the community is - and it was striking that there are more active members of the village's very dynamic WhatsApp group than there are households!
They also have a great sense of humour... you'd need look closely to spot the words "Runner Up" on the sign that they've proudly put up in the centre of the village, thanks to their choice of a remarkably tiny font-size for those last two words! Rumour has it that due to the very small population of their village compared with the overall winners Painswick, the people of Frampton Mansell regard their village as the moral victors in the competition!
Pictured above with the sign are, left to right, Parish Clerk Babs Maloney, with GRCC's Community Development Officer for the Cotswolds and Tewkesbury districts Sabrina Dixon, and award-winning village volunteer Lucy Cameron-Davies, who received a Highly Commended in the High Sheriff's Special Award for Volunteer of the Year, which was run as part of the Village of the Year competition.
The value of the Gloucestershire Village of the Year Runner Up prize won by Frampton Mansell was £1000, and during our visit we asked how the money was being spent.
"The prize money will enable us to renew one of our wooden noticeboards which is sadly in need of replacement, but they are so expensive - we're hoping to buy a wooden one to suit the area," said Parish Clerk Babs Maloney. "We're very grateful because without the prize money, we wouldn't have been able to afford it."
"We conducted a poll via the village WhatsApp group for what to spend the prize money on, and replacing the noticeboard was the most popular suggestion," explained village volunteer Lucy.
Pictured above in front of the old noticeboard are, left to right, Paul Tuck, Lucy Cameron-Davies, Babs Maloney, and John Thorogood.
Did coming second in Gloucestershire Village of the Year have an impact on Frampton Mansell? According to John Thorogood and Paul Tuck, pictured below, competition success has increased pride in the village, making it more likely that villagers will go to trouble and expense to improve the appearance of the village, such as by rebuilding sections of dry stone wall - as in the photo below.
Being shortlisted for Gloucestershire Village of the Year has also boosted participation in village surveys and consultations, said Babs Maloney: just after the shortlisting, the village applied for a lottery grant to rebuild the playground at the village hall, and the high level of response to the village consultation about this project was a factor in being successfully awarded the grant. "People are more likely to engage with surveys now, and I've got a lot of praise as the Parish Clerk, and I'd never had that before. It's raised the profile of the Parish Council," said Babs. "Being shortlisted for Gloucestershire Village of the Year led to a much more can-do attitude in the village."
"I think that as a small community, you can feel very insignificant," added Lucy, "but being shortlisted for Village of the Year inspired people to believe that we are capable of achieving more."
Villagers Paul Tuck, Babs Maloney, and Lucy Cameron-Davies reflect on Frampton Mansell's special community spirit, with GRCC's Sabrina Dixon, in the village's cosy and atmospheric Crown Inn, which dates from the 17th Century.
Paul Tuck grew up on a farm in the village, and said that the level of community spirit in Frampton Mansell is much higher now that it used to be in the old days: "There's much more more community here now than there used to be when I was brought up here - I think my grandparents would get quite a shock at what the village is like now," said Paul.
"It's friendly and supportive and not intrusive," added Babs. "You don't have to be involved, but the majority are involved in some way."
What advice would Parish Clerk Babs Maloney offer to other communities who might be considering entering the Gloucestershire Village of the Year competition in 2026?
"Just showcase what you've got, and believe in what you've got going on already," said Babs. "Look around and see how much is going on. You don't have to apply for everything - you could even just enter one category."
Entry forms for Gloucestershire Village of the Year 2026 will be available later this month - email info@grcc.org.uk to register your interest, and visit our Help for Communities page to find out about all the ways GRCC can support your community.
