COMMUNITIES in West Devon are being asked to shout about their way of life, enter a new competition run by the Community Council of Devon, and win £500.

The competition is open to any Devon group, town, village, or society, that thinks and acts like a community and has worked to improve their physical or social environment.

David Baker, chairman of the Community Council of Devon, said: 'We are looking to communities, big, or small, to show us what they have been doing. David Cameron talks about the Big Society, and we want to show him, and the rest of the country, that communities in Devon have been doing this kind of work for many years.'

This year's competition has two special categories – Green Community and Healthy Community – as they represent two of the more topical issues faced by these communities.

The Devon Community of the Year could be — a community that encourages the use of allotments and the creation of home-made food, a community that has lost its shop, post office or pub and come together to replace it or even a new community, such as a housing estate or a new school community, which gets together to work for the benefit of each other.

The Winner of Devon Community of the Year will be awarded £500 and the winners of the two special categories will each receive £250.

For more details about the categories, and how to make sure your community gets recognised for its great work, go to http://www.devonrcc.org.uk">www.devonrcc.org.uk