Cash for England's war memorials

War memorial restoration grants are being made available

War memorials are to be repaired thanks to grants totalling £100,000 from English Heritage.

The funds will help pay for a series of conservation projects to be carried out by parish councils, local authorities, schools and restoration groups.

Weir Memorial Cross near Burnley in Lancashire and a medieval churchyard cross in Kinlet, Worcestershire, are among the memorials to be restored.

Haydon Road Boys' School memorial, in Wimbledon, is also receiving cash.

The announcement of the grants comes just days before Britain remembers its war dead in Remembrance Sunday services.

Joy Russell, chair of the War Memorials Panel at English Heritage, said: "War memorials, never more so than at this time of year, are a very real and immediate reminder of the losses borne by every community, urban and rural, across the country."

There are 70,000 war memorials dotted around Britain - recording the names of some three million people who sacrificed their lives in battle.

To coincide with the release of the money, English Heritage and the War Memorials Trust has published a free guide offering practical advice for local people and organisations to help them maintain community memorials.