TETBURY is rejoicing after being named a winner in the Village of the Year 2014 awards.

Residents and businesses in the Cotswold town joined forces to enter the Village of the Year awards, organised by the Gloucestershire Rural Communities Council.

The small town ended up winning the award as it was dubbed the community which does the most for the elderly, thanks to the number of clubs and facilities for older people in the town.

Barry Gibbs, who is chairman of the Dolphin Recreational Centre in the town, said it was a project driven by the whole community. This is the first time Tetbury has entered the awards.

"We were delighted," he said. "We didn't know what to expect at all."

Even though Tetbury is a town, in the award rules they are classed as a village because less than 10,000 people live there.

The award was presented to the community for it's Monday Club and it's Wednesday/Friday club, both of which provide a lunch and fun, relaxing activities for the elderly. It was also given because of Holiday at Home, which sees older residents treated to a mini holiday in the area.

"Next year, now we have found out how it works we want to enter the Village of the Year category as well," added Mr Gibbs.

Other categories in the awards included the community that does that most for young people, and Mr Gibbs added that Tetbury is now looking at working on providing more activities for the younger generation.

A total of £500 was awarded to the town at the ceremony in Gloucester Cathedral last week, which will be split equally between the Monday Club, the Wednesday/Friday Club and Holiday at Home.