War Memorials Trust

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.

History
War Memorials Trust was registered as a charity on 7 May 1997. 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. 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."

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.

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).

Cases that the Trust has recently been involved with include:


 * Salisbury war memorial relocation – the Trust were opposed to the plans and applied for it to be listed with English Heritage as a historic structure to give the memorial added protection. The memorial was given Grade II listed status.  The plans were later withdrawn by Salisbury Vision and Wiltshire Council.
 * Lutterworth war memorial – the Trust have given advice about adding names to the memorial.
 * Northwood and Pinner Cottage Hospital – the war memorial hospital has been closed and NHS Hillingdon are proposing to sell the building. The Trust has advised that if the hospital must be sold, effort should be made to keep the hospital's name and heritage.
 * Shepshed war memorial relocation - the Trust advised Shepshed Town Council against relocation of the war memorial, and subsequently the council have decided to enhance the area around the memorial instead.

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.

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.

Since 1998, War Memorials Trust has administered the Small Grants Scheme, 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. In 2011, 57 offers were made to the value of £73,526 through both grant schemes (2010: 74 offers, £75,758).

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. In the 2011/2012 financial year, £50,121 was offered to 9 projects through this scheme (2010/2011: £101,601 to 10 projects).

Projects funded by the Trust include:
 * Craigie Village war memorial - awarded £1,200
 * Weymouth's American war memorial – awarded £10,000
 * Framsden war memorial – awarded £600
 * Ripon Spa Gardens
 * Spalding war memorial
 * The Co-Operative memorial, Salford – awarded £2,500
 * St Margaret's Church, Oxford

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.

Councils that have taken advantage of the scheme include:
 * Stockton Council
 * Fylde Council
 * Ashfield District Council
 * Loughton Town Council
 * South Buckinghamshire District Council
 * City of Ely Council
 * Walsall Council
 * Nottinghamshire County Council
 * Derby City Council
 * Ellesmere Town Council
 * Sutton Council

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".

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.

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).

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. War Memorials Trust had 161 Regional Volunteers throughout the UK at the end of 2011 (2010: 129).