Gnosall didn’t just win its category. It was named Best Large Village (South) before going on to receive the biggest accolade of the evening: Overall Winner for Staffordshire.
And the celebrations didn’t end there.
Young Gnosall residents Max and Mason won the Trailblazer Award, while Odin was named runner-up in the poster competition for his beautiful entry – making it an extraordinary evening for the whole community.
The overall award was presented by Nick Owen of the Owen Family Trust, the lead sponsor of the 2026 awards.
“Eternally grateful and proud of Gnosall”
Few people will have felt prouder on the night than Laura Pearson, leader of the Gnosall Best Kept Village group and Vice Chair of Gnosall Parish Council.
Following the announcement, Laura - in true form - summed up the mood with: “WHAT A NIGHT!”
Announcing the win on Facebook, Laura thanked the people of Gnosall for their hard work in keeping the village maintained and community-focused, paying tribute to the remarkable number of groups which operate across the village to support people and maintain connections between residents.
“Eternally grateful and proud of Gnosall,” she wrote after the awards.
Laura took over leadership of Gnosall Best Kept Village in November 2024, succeeding long-standing group leader Dave Clarke.
Her leadership has continued a legacy established by Dave and generations of Gnosall volunteers, while bringing fresh energy, ideas and, crucially, more people into the life of the group.
More than hanging baskets and tidy verges
The name “Best Kept Village” can conjure up images of flower displays, freshly cut grass and immaculate streets. Those things still matter, but the modern competition is about something much deeper.
The Community Foundation for Staffordshire & Shropshire, which organises the awards, says the competition exists to foster pride among local people and highlight the huge amount of voluntary work undertaken within communities. The competition dates all the way back to 1956.
Today, judges are not simply looking for the prettiest village.
As well as 30% of the marks for the main village awards relating to maintenance and appearance, the remaining 70% are awarded for demonstrating inclusivity, events, clubs and strength of community.
That distinction makes Gnosall’s overall victory particularly significant. It recognises not just how the village looks, but how the village works. And I suspect that most of our residents feels it too.
The Community Foundation says the most successful entries are often those which demonstrate the greatest involvement and community spirit. Gnosall is blessed; we are a community where people roll their sleeves up, support one another and create new groups and services.
This isn't Gnosall's first taste of success.
In 2023, Gnosall won Staffordshire's Large Village category, beating Yoxall and Pattingham to first place. A year later, Gnosall was highly commended in the Best Large Village category in 2024, continuing its run of strong performances in the county competition.
Then, in September 2026, Gnosall was once again announced as a finalist in the Best Large Village (South) category, alongside Alrewas, Perton, Wheaton Aston and Whittington.
This time, Gnosall went the whole hog!
Winning the Large Village South category would have been cause enough for celebration. But being named the overall winner for the whole of Staffordshire takes the achievement to another level.
A village-wide achievement
The Best Kept Village team deserves enormous credit, but this award also belongs to the volunteers in our community.
To the people planting, watering, sweeping, litter-picking and maintaining. To those organising events, clubs and activities. To the businesses that support village initiatives. To eveyone who quietly get on with helping people week after week.
And, perhaps most encouragingly, to the younger generation represented so brilliantly this year by Max, Mason and Odin.
Their success makes Gnosall's night all the more special.
Congratulations, Gnosall, we're officially Staffordshire's Best Kept Village & Community for 2026.
And this time, we've got the trophy to prove it! Well done!
