New Brewery Arts is hosting the unveiling of Cirencester’s official First World War Centenary Memorial.

A permanent wire flock of homing pigeons, carrying the names of the schools and groups who participated in Cirencester Commemorates will be affixed to the front of the New Brewery Arts building in the heart of the town.

Cirencester Commemorates, a project funded by a grant of £34,700 from Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), has given the people of Cirencester opportunities to understand and actively engage with the heritage of the war, uncover its stories and explore what it means to the town today. The unveiling of the First World War Centenary memorial is a fitting culmination of the year-long 2014 programme and is intended to provide a legacy for many years to come.

The unveiling will be on Saturday January 17 at 11am in Brewery Court at the front of New Brewery Arts, in the presence of Major D Walker, soldiers from the Duke of Gloucester Barracks, the Royal British Legion, Mayor of Cirencester Joe Harris and local school children. A drinks reception will follow in the gallery, with the opportunity to meet the artist Celia Smith and the team responsible for putting the Centenary Programme together.

Hannah Brady, who is part of the team organising the memorial on behalf of New Brewery Arts, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for the town, and we should be very grateful to be rewarded with such a beautiful permanent memorial. Our yearlong efforts have touched hundreds of people in the local community and this memorial will be a constant reminder of everything we have learnt together.

“The memorial has been inspired both by the past and the present; stories have been taken out of the archives and into the lives of those around us. We hope the memorial will be enjoyed for many years and be a reminder to those around us of the importance of the First World War and what this means to us today.”

Commenting on the grant award, HLF’s Head of South West, Nerys Watts, said: “The impact of the First World War was far reaching, touching and shaping every corner of the UK and beyond. The Heritage Lottery Fund has already invested more than £62 million in projects – large and small – that are marking this global Centenary; through our funding we are enabling even more communities, like those involved in Cirencester Commemorates, to explore the continuing legacy of this conflict and help local young people in particular to broaden their understanding of how it has shaped our modern world.”

For more information about New Brewery Arts and the Cirencester Commemorates events taking place at New Brewery Arts contact Annie Gould, 01285 657181 or annie@newbreweryarts.org.uk