Ongoing project to protect memorials

Twenty-one Northumberland war memorials have been listed in the last year as part of Historic England's pledge to mark the centenary of the First World War.
Rennington War MemorialRennington War Memorial
Rennington War Memorial

Historic England has pledged to list a total of 2,500 war memorials over the centenary of the First World War.

This is all part of a wider partnership the organisation has forged with War Memorials Trust, Civic Voice and the Imperial War Museums to help communities discover, care for and conserve their war memorials.

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Working with enthusiastic volunteers across the country, the programme is providing up to £2million in grants for war memorial repair and conservation and hundreds of workshops to teach people how to record their memorials and put them forward for listing.

In the North East, Historic England is working closely with the North East War Memorials Project, which has submitted applications for listing for war memorials.

It is a volunteer-run project established in 1988 with the aim of locating and recording every war memorial in the region, between the Tweed and the Tees.

War memorials newly listed in Northumberland since last November include Rennington, South Charlton and Whittingham (all grade II).

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Lord Ashton of Hyde, First World War Minister, said: “As we enter the final year of our First World War centenary commemorations, we want to ensure the bravery and sacrifice of those who served are never forgotten.

“Local war memorials are a poignant reminder of how the war affected our communities and of those who never came home.”