The Government has provided additional funding to Civic Voice, Historic England and the War Memorials Trust to help local communities clean and restore their war memorials as they mark the centenaries of locally significant events of World War I.

The aim is to ensure as many war memorials as possible are appreciated and cared for by their local communities and are in good condition.

Up to £2million is available for the conservation of war memorials and stone companies are being encouraged to advise local authorities and groups to apply for it. Full details of what works are eligible are set out on the War Memorials Trust’s website: www.warmemorials.org.

This website also has a wealth of information about looking after war memorials, including Frequently Asked Questions and detailed helpsheets.

Civic Voice is also holding workshops on maintaining war memorials. Details at: bit.ly/WWImemorials.

Historic England offers practical guidance to anyone who manages or cares for a war memorial or a memorial garden in its publications The Conservation, Management and Repair of War Memorials and The Conservation and Management of War Memorial Landscapes, which can be downloaded as PDFs from bit.ly/HE-war-memorials.

To supplement all this, specialist advice and training, including online films aimed at contractors and specifiers, is being developed to  address specific aspects of conservation work which are sometimes poorly understood.