Congratulations to Falkland, which has been named a finalist in the Scottish Calor Village of the Year Awards 2008.

The awards provide Scotland's rural communities (with a population of 5,000 and under), with the opportunity to gain recognition and reward for their achievements.

One of the key elements of the competition is to encourage communities to work together to safeguard the long-term viability of local life. The battle against social exclusion, which is a real problem in today's hustle-and-bustle society, can be supported through the competition with tangible results.

The competition is not about beautification and pretty window boxes. The entry categories cover a variety of community issues from contribution to the community's young people, to the environment and the elderly.

The competition assesses communities on four aspects of rural village life: People, Environment, Business and Communications. You are also asked to tell us in less than 500 words, 'What makes your community a special place?'

The next stage of the competition asks representatives from each short-listed village to attend a presentation day in Stirling where they'll appear before a panel of judges.

The national winner will receive £3,000 and four Regional Winners (North Scotland, Central Scotland, Southern Scotland and the Scottish Islands) will each receive £1,000 each. Go Falkland!