A message from “Civic Voice”:
In 2014, the then Prime Minister David Cameron, announced a national programme to survey and conserve the country’s WW1 war memorials to ensure that by the end of the centenary, as many war memorials as possible are in good condition and a ‘fitting tribute to the fallen’. Since then, Civic Voice, the national body for the civic movement, has been working in partnership with Historic England, Imperial War Museums and War Memorials Trust to inspire civic action and to encourage communities to record the condition of their local war memorial. More information on the First World War Memorials Programme can be found viahttp://www.civicvoice.org.uk/campaigns/war-memorials-/. There are thought to be approximately 100,000 war memorials within the UK, with over 200 across Wiltshire. Currently there is no single, complete national database which records the location and condition of war memorials within England. We are seeking to change this through the programme. There is £2 million of funding available to restore the nations’ war memorials to ensure they are tributes fit for heroes, but to access this funding we need to know their current condition. The process is quick and simple and can easily be fitted into a busy schedule, but we need the help of dedicated volunteers. Would you be interested in getting involved and being part of a team that goes out to survey local war memorials? The next step would be for Civic Voice to organise a workshop in the area, where we will provide full training on how to record the condition of war memorial. I would be grateful if you could let me know if this is something that you or your colleagues would be interested in attending. I hope this information has given you a helpful overview of the programme and if you need anything further please do not hesitate to get in touch. Feel free to spread the word and pass this information onto friends, family and any groups that you know of that may also be interested in getting involved. The more volunteers the merrier! Kind regards, Sarah James Senior Development Officer E: sarah.james@civicvoice.org.uk M: 07815832277 W: www.civicvoice.org.uk Follow us on Twitter: @civic_voice