Chalfont St. Giles has been named one of the best kept villages in Buckinghamshire following an annual county wide competition.

The picturesque village scooped the coveted Pushman Cup, set aside for villages with a population over 3000, in the 2016 Best Kept Village Competition.

However despite winning the overall prize and the Michaelis cup in 2015 it was a less successful year for Marlow, which came second in the Tindall Cup category – a competition made up of last year’s winners.

The village of Weedon stripped Marlow of its crown, winning the coveted Sword of Excellence for the overall top score.

Richard Pushman, Chairman of the Best Kept Village Competition, comments: “Our popular Best Kept Village Competition highlights the great community activity that goes on in our lovely Buckinghamshire villages.

“It is a great way to recognise the contribution of many who give their time and effort to showcase and enhance their local environment.

“The Best Kept Village competition is not just for ‘pretty’ villages – we want to see communities where everyone makes an effort to keep their surroundings well maintained.

“The competition is a good opportunity for villages to celebrate all the positive aspects of life in their village and we warmly congratulate this year’s winners for their superb efforts.”

The cups will be presented in the winning villages by Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire on Saturday, September 17.

The full list of winners are as follows:

Weedon – Overall winner and winner of the Gurney Cup (villages with a population of 500 and under)

Ludgershall - runner-up.

Tingewick - winner of the Morris Cup (villages with a population of 500 – 1500)

Granborough - runner-up.

Hanslope, winner of the DeFraine Cup - (villages with a population 1501 – 3000)

Seer Green - runner-up.

Chalfont St Giles - winner of the Pushman Cup (villages with a population over 3000)

Stokenchurch - runner-up.

Olney - winner of the Michaelis Cup (small towns)

Stony Stratford - runner-up.

Stewkley - winner of the Tindall Cup (2015 cup winners) and the Community Trophy

Marlow - runner-up.

Granborough – Best runner up