War Memorial Trust

War Memorials Trust (WMT) is the only national charity dedicated to the conservation and repair of war memorials throughout the UK. The charity aims to promote and support the preservation of war memorials so that they continue to be valued as an important part of our national heritage. As the nation marks the 90th anniversary of the end of WWI this year we know many communities are looking to ensure their memorials are in a fit condition for Remembrance events. Through its grant schemes War Memorials Trust can contribute financially towards repair and conservation projects to war memorials.

The Trust currently runs two grant schemes which support war memorial conservation and repair projects in Scotland.

The first scheme Small Grants Scheme in Scotland was only recently launched and is run in collaboration with Historic Scotland. It can support the conservation and repair of only freestanding war memorials in Scotland. To be eligible the war memorial must not be part of another building e.g. a plaque within or attached to another building. The scheme can fund up to 75% of the total eligible costs of the project up to a maximum of £7,500.

The conservation and repair of non-freestanding war memorials in Scotland is eligible for assistance under WMT’s general Small Grant Scheme that can and has, since its creation in 1998, been supporting work to all types of war memorials throughout the UK. The scheme currently awards grants of up to 50% of eligible costs, with a maximum of £2,500.

WMT encourages you to examine the war memorials within your area (whether
freestanding in the form of a cross, cenotaph, lych gate, etc or non-freestanding such as plaques, stained glass windows, rolls of honour, etc) to determine whether they require any conservation works. Such works may include limited cleaning and re-cutting of eroded inscriptions, structural works, applying protective coatings and many more. Both schemes are open to anyone to apply so if you feel that this funding opportunity may be of interest to other local groups or private custodians of war memorials, please do not hesitate to forward this information on.

Application packs for this scheme can be found on our website (www.warmemorials.org)
or by contacting our office on 020 7881 0862 or conservation@warmemorials.org. To
discuss further which grant scheme to apply for, or for further information please contact the Conservation Officer at the above.

WMT also publishes advice sheets on a wide range of war memorial issues including that of maintenance of war memorials. This includes useful information on what a
maintenance plan for a war memorial should include. All advice sheets can be
downloaded from the Trust’s website.