Digital and Innovation Prizewinners 2025
Gloucestershire Village of the Year - results in detail
As more and more services move online, digital connection and accessibility are increasingly important. This category, sponsored by Renishaw , is about exploring how our communities connect with their residents, support individuals to get online, and the innovative uses they make of digital.
Winner - Fairford
Fairford (in Cotswold District) won the £2,000 first prize in the Digital and Innovation category of Gloucestershire Village of the Year 2025.
This community demonstrates a strong awareness of the challenges for individuals as health and other services move online. It has a very active community group which, amongst other activities, runs a digital inclusion programme to offer essential support to those struggling with technology and supporting a diverse range of people through an annual course for beginners, plus follow-up sessions and weekly drop-ins. Tailored one-to-one support is provided, including home visits. Partnering with GRCC’s DAISI Project has enabled access to equipment and SIM cards for those in need, and older residents are now connecting with each other via WhatsApp, and even using YouTube for a regular exercise class. In addition, a number of local groups and venues, including the parish church, make use of their websites to promote and publicise the history of the area.
The judges were impressed with the scale and ambition of the community’s initiatives and considered that the highly developed support infrastructure for all age groups and needs was outstanding.
Runner Up - Highnam
Highnam (Tewkesbury District) won the £1,000 runner-up prize in the Digital and Innovation category of Gloucestershire Village of the Year 2025.
This village makes extensive use of digital tools and social media to keep residents informed and provide opportunities to share information, from a WhatsApp Group to disseminate critical information, information boards and groups on Facebook to share information about activities, Neighbourhood Watch security information, to specific websites about available services and businesses. The community centre hosts digital advice and support sessions with GRCC’s DAISI project, and provides free WiFi for all users, and the Parish Council uses digital surveys to enable as many people as possible to have a say in what is done for the community. In addition, a local heritage project has been running since 2016 which includes an innovative website recording interviews and memories of residents, digitising historical records, and creating a comprehensive reference resource of the history of the area which is still being updated, and which brings together around 130 residents with an interest in local history.
