War Memorials Trust

War Memorials Trust
Formation 7 May 1997
Legal status Registered charity
Purpose protection and conservation of war memorials in the UK
Location
Region served
UK
Membership
1,809[1]
Patron
HRH the Duchess of Cornwall
Website www.warmemorials.org

War Memorials Trust works for the protection and conservation of war memorials in the UK by providing free information and advice as well as administering grant schemes for the repair and conservation of war memorials.

The Trust works with other organisations such as English Heritage and Historic Scotland to better safeguard the future of war memorials in both their social and historical context.

Objectives

The charity’s four objectives are:

  1. To monitor the condition of war memorials and to encourage protection and conservation.
  2. To provide expert advice to those involved in war memorial projects, to act as the specialist organisation for war memorial conservation issues and to facilitate repair and conservation through grants schemes.
  3. To work with relevant organisations to encourage them to accept responsibility for war memorials and recognise the need to undertake repair and conservation work.
  4. To build a greater understanding of war memorial heritage and raise awareness of the issues surrounding war memorial conservation.[2]

History

War Memorials Trust was registered as a charity on 7 May 1997.[3] It was originally known as Friends of War Memorials. Sir Donald Thompson, then MP for Calderdale, Winston S Churchill, grandson of the wartime Prime Minister, and Ian Davidson, a former Royal Marine, were amongst those involved in founding the charity.[4] Sir Donald Thompson became the Director-General of the charity and Winston S Churchill the President.

The Trust’s charity deed outlines the aim "… to educate the public and to foster patriotism and good citizenship by remembering those who have fallen in war by preserving and maintaining war memorials."[3]

At the end of 2004 the Trustees of the charity decided upon a new name, War Memorials Trust, to replace Friends of War Memorials. The change came into effect in January 2005, along with a change of logo.[5]

Conservation advice

The Trust has a conservation team who provide free advice about war memorial issues. In 2011 the charity dealt with 600 new cases and 1,028 general enquiries (2010: 573 new cases, 969 general enquiries).[6]

Cases that the Trust has recently been involved with include:

The Trust is a member of the War Memorial Action Group, set up by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to discuss the problems of protecting and restoring war memorials and identify what can be done to ensure they are in a good condition in time for the centenary of the outbreak of World War I.[16][17]

Grant schemes

The Trust administers grant schemes which between them cover the whole of the UK. These grants fund conservation work, like-for-like repairs, and structural repair, as well as the addition of names where they can be accommodated on the memorial. Routine maintenance is excluded.[18]

Since 1998, War Memorials Trust has administered the Small Grants Scheme,[18] which offers grants to eligible repair and conservation projects to all types of war memorials in the UK. In Scotland, the Trust administers the Small Grants Scheme in Scotland for freestanding war memorials, funded with Historic Scotland.[19] In 2011, 57 offers were made to the value of £73,526 through both grant schemes (2010: 74 offers, £75,758).[20]

For larger projects in England, the charity administers the Grants for War Memorials scheme. This scheme is funded by English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation.[21] In the 2011/2012 financial year, £50,121 was offered to 9 projects through this scheme (2010/2011: £101,601 to 10 projects).[22]

Projects funded by the Trust include:

Current projects and campaigns

In Memoriam 2014

In Memoriam 2014 is a partnership between War Memorials Trust and the SmartWater Foundation to protect war memorials with metal elements from theft and damage by marking them with a forensic liquid called SmartWater.[31][32]

Councils that have taken advantage of the scheme include:

War Memorials Officer campaign

In November 2010, the Trust launched a campaign to identify a War Memorials Officer (WMO) at each local authority in the UK. A WMO is the main point of contact at that council regarding war memorial issues for the public and the Trust. In November 2011, "around half of local authorities have nominated a war memorials officer".[56]

Learning programme

In August 2011 War Memorials Trust launched its youth focused learning programme, 'We will always remember.' The aim of this programme is to build a greater understanding of war memorial heritage among young people so that they can continue to protect war memorials in the future as custodians. The learning programme provides National Curriculum linked lesson materials for primary and secondary school teachers, and offers talks or assemblies for schools and youth groups such as Scouts, Cadets and Duke of Edinburgh Award participants.[57]

Membership

War Memorials Trust has a membership consisting of individuals and organisations. On 31 December 2011 the charity had 2,492 members (end of 2010: 1,809 members).[58]

Volunteering

Regional volunteers undertake a range of activities such as monitoring the condition of local war memorials and reporting those at risk to the Trust, researching and applying for the listing of war memorials and promoting the charity by giving talks and organising events.[59] War Memorials Trust had 161 Regional Volunteers throughout the UK at the end of 2011 (2010: 129).[60]

See also

References

  1. "War Memorials Trust: Review of Activities; Administration, publications and PR" (PDF). Charity Commission. p. 5. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  2. Funding Directory. Heritage Alliance. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  3. 1 2 War Memorials Trust, Charity framework. Charity Commission. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  4. History. War Memorials. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
  5. Logo. War Memorials. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
  6. Trustees' report and accounts, Review of activities: Conservation. Charity Commission. p4. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  7. A war memorial in Salisbury is being moved to make space. BBC News Wiltshire. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  8. War memorial must be kept in its current place. Salisbury Journal. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  9. Bulletin issue 51. War Memorials. p. 6. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  10. Historic England. "Salisbury War Memorial and railings (1400920)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  11. War memorial won't be moved. Salisbury Journal. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  12. Bid to improve process for naming the fallen on memorial. Lutterworth Mail. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  13. Northwood and Pinner Cottage Hospital to remain closed for further four years. Uxbridge Gazette. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  14. Plans to sell off Northwood and Pinner Cottage Hospital spark outcry. Uxbridge Gazette. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  15. Councillors decide not to move war memorial. Loughborough Gazette. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  16. Save our war memorials: Heritage organisations form action group. The Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  17. Save our war memorials: National Inventory of memorials to be established. The Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  18. 1 2 CIB Funding Database. CIB. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  19. War Memorial grants. Historic Scotland. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  20. Review of activities: Conservation. Charity Commission. p4. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  21. Grants for War Memorials. English Heritage. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  22. Review of activities: Conservation. Charity Commission. p. 5. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  23. Craigie Village renovated war memorial unveiled. South Ayrshire Council press release. Retrieved 05-10-2012.
  24. Weymouth: War memorial repairs. View From Publishing. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  25. Framsden: Freshley cleaned war memorial unveiled. EADT24. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  26. Restored statues unveiled. Ripon Gazette. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  27. Service to mark adding of new names to war memorial. Spalding Guardian. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  28. Rediscovered memorial for Clitheroe war heroes stands proud after restoration. Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  29. Salford Co-op restores World War I soldiers' memorial. BBC News Manchester. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  30. Remembering true courage: Heroes honoured at restored icon. This is Oxfordshire. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  31. National Campaign to Reduce War Memorial Theft. COBESCO. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  32. Frances Moreton: We must all protect memorials to the fallen. Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  33. 'Smartwater' helps protect war memorials. Stockton Town Talk. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  34. Smart thinking to protect Stockton war memorials. Evening Gazette. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  35. Hi-tech move to protect Stockton war memorials. BBC News. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  36. A smart way to foil war memorial metal thieves. The Northern Echo. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  37. Smart guarding against thieves. Lytham St Anne's Express. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  38. Protection for war memorials from metal thieves. Hucknall Dispatch. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  39. Plaques marked to stop scrap thefts. Nottingham Post. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  40. A smart move to beat Ashfield's thieves. Chad.co.uk Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  41. Council hopes to outwit metal thieves with high-tech solution. Epping Forest News. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  42. War memorials in South Bucks to be protected. Gerrards Cross Buckinghamshire Advertiser. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  43. Memorial guarded by hidden deterrent. Ely Weekly News. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  44. Barr Beacon in Walsall to get £440,000 revamp. BBC News Birmingham and Black Country. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  45. Barr Beacon to become wonder of Walsall after planners win £440,000 Lottery award. Culture 24. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  46. Join the Smart brigade and protect your war memorial. Nottingham Post. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  47. Nottinghamshire County Council press release. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  48. Action urged in plan to protect war memorials from 'upsetting' thefts. Derby Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  49. Derbyshire County Council press release. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  50. Derbyshire British Legion backs protecting war memorials. BBC News Derby. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  51. "Clampdown on metal thieves keeps plaques on war memorials safe". Derby Telegraph. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  52. Ellesmere's smart response to PM's memorial concerns. Border Counties Advertiser. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  53. Marker plan to protect Borders war memorial. The Southern Reporter. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  54. Stolen Carshalton war memorial plaques replaced. BBC News London. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  55. War memorials get invisible security markings as campaign against metal thieves stepped up. Sutton Guardian. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  56. The real enemy of war memorials is neglect. Defence Management. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  57. What War Memorials Trust's Learning Programme does. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  58. Review of Activities: Administration, publications and PR. Charity Commission. p. 7. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  59. Regional Volunteers War Memorials Trust. do-it.org.uk Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  60. Review of activities: Volunteers. Charity Commission. p. 6. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
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