IS your village pub the heart of your community, the life and soul of your village? Is it much more than just a place to eat, drink and be merry?

Perhaps it doubles up as a post office or shop? Maybe it provides a much-needed créche facility or acts as a meeting place for parish councils and local clubs?

In short, is your pub the centre of village life, the glue that helps your community stick together?

If so we want to hear about it. Because it could be the next winner of the Calor Rural Pub in the Community Award. You could follow in the footsteps of Pauline Davey of The Master Robert Inn in Buriton, Hampshire who was successful in winning the 2006 title.

This competition is an important addition to the well-established Calor Village of the Year Awards, which are now in their 11th successful year.

The Calor Rural Pub in the Community Award, seeks to reward pubs in villages with under 5,000 residents that have taken the most effective and creative measures to ensure their continued viability at the heart of a thriving rural community.

For the overall winner, Calor will help organise a special event to raise funds for a charity of your choice within your local community. In addition to contributing to the fund raising event, Calor will also provide a patio heater for your pub garden and a huge amount of free publicity - all geared to helping increase your business further.

So enter the Calor Rural Pub in the Community Awards today. Because the country's top LPG supplier is looking forward to drinking to the country's top village pub.

For full competition rules and entry requirements visit www.lpg-catering.co.uk/rural or email enquiries@calor.co.uk.

To be in with a chance of winning the Calor Rural Pub in the Community Award, simply fill in the details then type on a separate sheet of paper in no more than 500 words why the pub you are nominating deserves to win. The following questions may help you - but remember they are just for guidance and focus, and not the criteria for judging:

What measures have you taken to ensure the success of your pub and how does your pub contribute to the life of your community?

Have you diversified or extended the activities or services of your pub? Include any future plans.

Have you used technology to make your pub more efficient?

Have you worked in partnership with other local businesses?

Does your sourcing policy help local businesses within your community?

Entries will be assessed by independent judges who have experience in encouraging businesses to engage with their communities. Closing date for entries is 16th April 2007.

Please send your entry to: Commercial Marketing, Calor Rural Pub in the Community Award, Freepost, Calor Gas Limited, Athena House, Athena Drive, Tachbrook Park, Warwick, CV34 6R.

To find out more: telephone 0800 216 659, fax 0870 400 6904, e-mail enquiries@calor.co.uk, www.lpg-catering.co.uk/rural, alternatively log onto: www.lpg-catering.co.uk/rural, www.calorvillageoftheyear.org.

ENTRY FORM (along with your typed 500 word entry form)

Name of pub:

Pub postcode:

Your connection to the pub (eg landlord, customer, owner, member of staff):

Landlord/Owner's name:

Village name & county:

Total population of your village:

Your name:

Your address:

Postcode:

Your telephone number- Day: Evening:

e-mail address:

Today it's often not enough for a village pub just to serve great food and drink. To survive in the 21st century, rural hostelries need to evolve, diversify and become, quite literally, the hub of village life.

They can:

Provide Internet and e-mail access

Host church services

Help with providing meals to local pensioners

Act as pharmacy collection points

Provide créche facilities

Be deposit/collection points for dry cleaning and laundry

Set up as off licenses

Provide space for convenience stores, Post Offices, betting shops, art and craft galleries, gyms and fitness centres

Act as outlets for farm produce or other locally produced goods

Of course, there are many more ways in which rural pubs can ensure their long-term financial success and benefit their communities. So tell us what your pub does to earn its position right at the heart of the community and you could be the winner of the Calor Rural Pub in the Community Award.