A TRIO of villages in the Malvern area are keeping their rakes and lawnmowers at the ready in preparation for a village of the year competition.

Judges for the 2002 competition to find Worcestershire's Best Kept Village are due to visit Earls Croome, Guarlford and Hanley Castle in July, although nobody knows quite when.

Guarlford parish clerk Michael Skinner said: "It's quite difficult to keep everything cut. We'll keep our fingers crossed. If we won it would help people to appreciate that we live in an attractive village."

In 2000, Guarlford, just west of Malvern, was commended and has high hopes for its chances of winning this year after renovating a village pond.

"The pond was restored last year as part of the Aqua Vita programme," Mr Skinner said. "It should make a difference because it looks quite nice now. It's made a great improvement.

"It had been overgrown and contaminated by salts, which run off the road in the winter but we have put in a new filtering system."

Organised by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) and sponsored by Calor Gas, villages are entered into three categories.

All three competitors in the Malvern area will be included in the small category of less than 300 inhabitants. No local villages are included in the medium or large categories.

CPRE's competition organiser Rosemary Roberts said: "Villages know the time period during which a judging visit will be made but they don't know the day, so that they have to get their act together well in advance."

Judges will be looking for well balanced, pro-active caring communities which, irrespective of size, have made the best of local opportunities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all residents.

The criteria are community life, business, older people, younger people, and the environment and information technology. Results will be announced in August.