PURBECK village Briantspuddle scooped Best Small Village at this year's Dorset Best Village Awards.

Judges travelled more than 900 miles across Dorset this summer as they inspected the villages taking part.

While looking out for well-kept greens and finger posts, tidy churchyards and rubbish-free playgrounds, they also note the work going on in communities behind the scenes to look after their villages.

As well as the main awards for villages, there are a number of different categories to recognise community projects.

The event is organised by Dorset Community Action with Magna Housing as the main sponsor.

And pledges were made at the awards ceremony at Cerne Abbas village hall that the competition will continue in the future amid a shake-up of local government.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Cllr Peter Shorland, vice chairman of the shadow Dorset Council, told the audience: "This event sees people get together and believe in what they are doing and that mustn't be lost when the district councils are abolished.

"I'm not going to let something like this be lost, or let Dorset Community Action disappear.

"The organisations that make this contest what it is, we'll make sure they will still be here."