Communities across Devon have until 31st January to apply for the first round of funding for a World War One Memorial restoration grant.
There were an estimated 2,000 war memorials created in Devon at the end of the Great War, in local communities, as well as by schools, clubs, churches and even businesses. While many memorials survive and are maintained, many have fallen into disrepair and lie largely unnoticed.
Devon County Council announced last year that £150,000 had been made available to the WW1 war memorials project, administered by Community Council of Devon.
Organisations, including Town and Parish Councils responsible for the maintenance of public war memorials can apply for grants of between £750 and £3,000, on condition that they contribute at least 25% of the total cost of the restoration project.
Restoration can be of any kind designed to make the memorial clearer and more prominent in the community. They may include stone crosses, monoliths, plaques, or statues, and the funding could be used to improve the landscaping surrounding memorials.
The memorial grant scheme forms part of a wider Devon County Council initiative called Devon Remembers, commemorating the contributions, commitment and sacrifice that families a century ago gave during World War One, 1914-18.
More than 11,000 Devon men and women died in the Great War, and over the next four years people young and old will be marking the centenary in their own personal way. Communities will also be coming together to discover stories about their shared past and forging new relationships for the future.
The grant scheme is the first phase of this work. For more information on the grant scheme or to make an application to restore a memorial, please visit the Community Council of Devon website, www.devonrcc.org.uk.
