Village where Tom Cruise celebrated his birthday is crowned Gloucestershire's best - full list of winners
Tom Cruise chose a cottage in a Gloucestershire village for his birthday celebrations in 2022
A village in the Cotswolds that has proved popular with celebrities is celebrating victory in the Gloucestershire Village of the Year competition 2025. Painswick was named overall winner in the Gloucestershire Rural Community Council's prestigious awards.
It was back in 2022 that Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise celebrated his 60th birthday with a party in a Painswick cottage, with Gavin and Stacey co-creator and star James Corden among the guests. Pop singer and actor Lily Allen also lived in the village for a while.
Communities from all over the county submitted entries, with category winners evenly spread across the four rural districts. This year’s awards ceremony featuring the shortlisted communities took place at the Highnam Court on Thursday, July 17.
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Entries completed four main categories and representatives from the villages together with other invited guests gathered to hear the results being announced and prizes presented. The last Village of the Year winner Dymock, in the Forest of Dean district, was also featured with quotes about why they took part in the competition and how the community benefited from the prize money awarded.
As well as being home at various times to other celebrities, including actors Susan Lynch and Craig Parkinson, Painswick is dubbed 'Queen of the Cotswolds' and is famed for its Rococo Gardens. Frampton Mansell in the Cotswolds taking home the overall runner up award.
You can see the rest of the category winners and runners-up below
Overall winner and runner up
GRCC Gloucestershire Village of the Year Overall Winner: Painswick
Overall Winner: Painswick (Stroud)
Overall Runner Up : Frampton Mansell (Cotswolds)
Sponsored by GRCC
Category winners and runners up
Category 1 Community-Led Health and Wellbeing (including mental health) sponsored by One Gloucestershire
Community led Health and Wellbeing Category Winner: Highnam
Winner : Highnam (Tewkesbury borough)
Runner Up: Painswick (Stroud district)
Highly Commended : Gotherington (Tewkesbury borough)
Category 2 Climate & Environment (Resilience) sponsored by Cotswold and Stroud District and Tewkesbury Borough Council
Climate and Environment Resilience Category Winner: Painswick
Winner : Painswick (Stroud district)
Runner Up : Highnam (Tewkesbury borough)
Category 3 Inclusive Community sponsored by Barnwood Trust
Inclusive Community Category Winner: Painswick
Winner: Painswick (Stroud district)
Runner Up : Woolaston (Forest of Dean)
Highly Commended : Kingswood (Stroud district)
Category 4 Digital & Innovation sponsored by Renishaw
Digital and Innovation Category Winner: Fairford
Winner: Fairford (Cotswold district)
Runner Up: Highnam (Tewkesbury borough)
Additional awards:
High Sheriff’s Special Award for Volunteer of the Year 2025: Di Landon, Westbury on Severn (Forest of Dean)
High Sheriffs Special Award Volunteer of the Year winner: Di Landon of Westbury on Severn
Highly Commended certificates to:
- Mary Ann Dibbs, Fairford (Cotswolds)
- Lucy Cameron-Davies, Frampton Mansell (Cotswolds)
- Mark Oliver, Gretton (Tewkesbury borough)
- David Owen, Kingswood (Stroud district)
- Andrew Sekinger, Minsterworth (Tewkesbury borough)
- John Rapson, Weston Sub Edge (Cotswolds)
- Martin Rose, Woolaston (Forest of Dean)
The GRCC Special (Posthumous) Recognition Award : Vicki Hewlett - for Outstanding contribution to the work of GRCC
B & Q Grand Prize Draw - £600 worth of B & Q products won by Westbury-on-Severn
Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC) as main sponsor, along with other sponsors, One Gloucestershire, Barnwood Trust, Renishaw, Cotswold District, Stroud District and Tewkesbury Borough Councils and Freeman Homes presented each of the category winners and runners up with commemorative certificates, plaques and prize money - £2,000 to the winners and £1,000to the runners up. The overall winner and runner up received a certificate and £2,000 and £1,000 in prize money.
Barbara Piranty, GRCC’s Chief Executive said: “In these difficult times it’s so encouraging to see the positive energy and activity in the communities we serve, showing that Gloucestershire is still both resilient and vibrant. Congratulations to all the winners, runners up and Highly Commended.
"We encourage more communities to enter next year as it’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase all the amazing things you are doing in your community, learn from others and access vital funding to kickstart or further develop existing activities.”
Phil Sullivan, Chair of this year’s judging panel added: “I was privileged to be involved in this wonderful competition. The communities we visited demonstrated outstanding quality, involvement and engagement and it was clear to the judges the efforts they were making to ensure their villages were welcoming and special places to live."
For further information on Gloucestershire Village of the Year, please contact Barbara Piranty at GRCC on 01452 528491, via email at [email protected] or visit the GRCC website at www.grcc.org.uk
