£3,000 repairs for Woodland war memorial

THE fallen heroes of Woodland are set to be honoured once again after funding for the war memorial’s restoration was secured.
County councillors Heather Smith and Andy Turner have each used £1,257 of their neighbourhood budget to help pay for the repair and refurbishment work on the 1914-18 war memorial in the village. Woodland Parish Council also contributed about £500 towards the cost of the repairs to the stone and the bronze plaque.
Cllr Smith said: “The stonework needs a general tidy up. The bronze plaque is also corroded.
“It is very important, especially as we are commemorating the First World War and the centenary of the Somme.
“The other reason we wanted to do it, apart from historical importance, was that it was really important that we used our neighbourhood budget in every community. This was a good project for Woodland.”
The work is expected to be carried out during spring.
Parish clerk Cliff Harding said: “It is important that we continue with the way the memorial has been for the last 100 years. It was made originally by public subscription so I think it is up to us.”
The stonework will be repointed, cleaned and repaired where necessary by William Allison & Sons Monumental Sculptors, from Bishop Auckland. Antiquities conservator Karen Barker, from Woodland, will be carrying out the work to plaque.
Mr Harding said: “We have always had an eye on it to try and get it done for the First World War centenary or at least to have something in place for 2018 which we are well on track for doing now.
“We have just taken delivery of a memorial bench which will be sited next to the memorial. We are also talking about getting the war memorial listed too to protect it for the future.”
The new bench has been funded by the parish council and will replace the current bench which will be relocated to another site in the village.