Restoration of war memorial ready to begin

Campaigners who have worked for years to raise funds to help restore Knottingley War Memorial are celebrating after a £13,500 grant was awarded.
Roy Gosney, Chris Wood, Ann Penistone, Architect Ulrike  Knox, Sheila Gosney & Colin Penistone.Roy Gosney, Chris Wood, Ann Penistone, Architect Ulrike  Knox, Sheila Gosney & Colin Penistone.
Roy Gosney, Chris Wood, Ann Penistone, Architect Ulrike Knox, Sheila Gosney & Colin Penistone.

The War Memorial Trust approved the application for the cash which will be used to restore the Chapel Street monument.

It comes after three years of tireless work by the Knottingley War Memorial Fund group, who themselves have raised over £15,000.

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Group member Ann Penistone said: “Getting the grant has what’s taken the longest, but it’s a really big thing for us.

“There’s a lot of hoops you have to jump through, there’s been a lot of paperwork which has been hard work, but it feels unbelievable, it’s like winning the lottery.

The cash will be used to clean up the Grade II-listed structure, which names those who died in both world wars, and replace some of the missing lead lettering.

However, the main focus is to restore the bronze angel statue that sits at the pinnacle of the war memorial. It is corroding badly inside and needs major work.

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Calibre Conservation won the contract for the restoration work and is expected to start in the next four weeks.

It was hoped that the money would be in place before Remembrance Day in November, which has added poignancy this year as it marks the 100 year anniversary of the end of the First World War.

It is expected that the work will take three months to complete, meaning it will be ready in plenty of time .

The additional money raised by the fundraising group now means they can pay towards its upkeep once the work is done.

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Mrs Penistone added: “We started raising money just in case we didn’t get the grant, so that will now be used to treat the memorial with a special wax to help preserve it.

“That needs to be done every three years so we have the money to pay for it.”

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