Funding boost to protect war memorials across the country for future generations
Government grant to ensure tributes to fallen servicemen and women are preserved across the UK
- National Heritage Memorial Fund to support communities in repairing and conserving local war memorials
The government has announced £2 million in funding for the National Heritage Memorial Fund to support the repair and conservation of local war memorials across the United Kingdom, as the nation prepares to mark Remembrance Sunday.
The funding will build on The National Heritage Memorial Fund’s ongoing work to preserve and protect some of the UK’s finest heritage and enable more communities to access support for maintaining their local war memorials most in need.
War memorials stand as permanent reminders of the sacrifice made by servicemen and women in conflicts past and present. They play a key role in acts of remembrance across the country.
Every town across the UK has its own rich history and it is important that people understand the role their parents, grandparents and great grandparents played in keeping us safe and protecting our freedom. This funding will ensure more people can be proud of their heritage, and tell their stories at a local level.
This Remembrance Sunday, as communities across the country gather at memorials nationwide to honour those who gave their lives in service, this funding will ensure these important structures remain protected for future generations to remember and learn about our shared history.
The announcement follows commemorations earlier this year to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War on Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) and Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day), which paid tribute to the millions across the UK and Commonwealth who served in Europe and the Far East.
Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said:
War memorials are more than historic structures. They are sacred spaces where communities come together to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom.
As we mark Remembrance Sunday and reflect on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, it is our duty to ensure these memorials are conserved with the dignity and respect they deserve.
This funding will help communities across the country preserve these vital tributes, so that the sacrifices of all who have served, past and present, are never forgotten and their legacy endures for generations to come.
The National Heritage Memorial Fund exists to form a UK-wide memorial in honour of those who have given their lives to the country. Working with the War Memorials Trust, Historic England and other partners, the funding will support communities across the UK to protect and repair their local war memorials through grants, expert advice and guidance, ensuring these historic memories can continue to serve as places for remembrance and education.
Director of War Memorials Trust, Ms Frances Moreton said:
The UK’s 100,000 war memorials remind us all of the millions whose lives have been ended, or impacted, by it. Preserving these shared symbols helps us all to understand the consequences of conflict, encourage later generations to avoid such suffering and continue to say, we still remember.
Simon Thurley, Chair of The National Heritage Memorial Fund, said:
As we mark Remembrance Sunday, we welcome the news of this funding. Since 1980, the Memorial Fund’s purpose has been to create a timeless collection of heritage as a memorial for those who have given their lives for the UK so it is very fitting that we can now play a role in conserving local war memorials.
We look forward to working in partnership with the War Memorials Trust, and other partners across the UK to protect war memorials which hold a special place in the heart of communities across the UK.
Notes to editors:
Anyone concerned about the condition of a war memorial can contact the charity or share information directly to War Memorials Online where more than 3,000 people are already updating details about UK war memorials www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk.
About the National Heritage Memorial Fund
The National Heritage Memorial Fund was set up in 1980 as a fund of last resort to save the most outstanding parts of our heritage, to create a timeless and publicly accessible collection as a memorial to those who have given their lives for the UK.
The Memorial Fund receives annual grant-in-aid of £5 million from the UK government to help save some of our most-loved treasures such as paintings, natural heritage, maritime and industrial vessels, and historic houses, from being lost forever. Any funds remaining from the Memorial Fund’s annual allocation at the end of the financial year remain available to the Memorial Fund to award grants to exceptional heritage treasures such as the Portrait of Mai (Omai), The Artist Rooms, Titian’s Diana and Acteon, the Honresfield Library, Tyntesfield Estate, Wentworth Woodhouse Estate and Wentworth Woodhouse.