Formation 7 May 1997 Membership 2,755 | Legal status Registered charity Region served UK | |
Purpose protection and conservation of war memorials in the UK |
War Memorials Trust works for the protection and conservation of war memorials in the UK. The charity provides free information and advice as well as administering grant schemes for the repair and conservation of war memorials.
Contents
- Objectives
- History
- Conservation advice
- Grant schemes
- First World War Memorials Programme
- In Memoriam 2014
- War Memorials Officer campaign
- Learning programme
- Membership
- Volunteering
- References
War Memorials Trust works with other organisations such as Historic England and Historic Environment Scotland to better safeguard the future of war memorials in both their social and historical context.
Objectives
The charity’s four objectives are:
- To monitor the condition of war memorials and to encourage protection and conservation.
- 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.
- To work with relevant organisations to encourage them to accept responsibility for war memorials and recognise the need to undertake repair and conservation work.
- 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
War Memorials Trust has a conservation team who provide free advice about war memorial issues. In 2015-16 the charity dealt with 595 new cases and 911 general enquiries (2014: 609 new cases, 1,041 general enquiries).
Cases that the Trust has recently been involved with include:
Grant schemes
War Memorials Trust administers grant schemes which between them cover the whole of the UK. These grants are for the repair and conservation of war memorials.
In 2015-16 War Memorials Trust managed the following Grant Schemes:
Projects funded by the Trust include:
First World War Memorials Programme
This partnership Programme, supported by the UK government through the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, is comprised of Civic Voice, Historic England, Imperial War Museums and War Memorials Trust. The Programme aims to improve public engagement with their war memorials throughout the centenary of theFirst World War, as well as to encourage repair and conservation works.
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:
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. By the end of 2015-16, 290 War Memorials Officers had been identified.
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 March 2016 the charity had 2,755 members (2014: 2,798).
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 188 Regional Volunteers throughout the UK on 31 March 2016 (2014: 181).