Work set to start on war memorial

An artists impression of how the restored monument would look

Restoration work is set to start on a crumbling memorial to soldiers from a Sussex town who died in the world wars.

The £120,000 needed to revamp the Grade II listed monument in Alexandra Park, Hastings, has been raised according to the Hasting Borough Council.

The town's mayor made the project one of her charities last year, the Ex-Servicemen's Association raised £20,000 and English Heritage gave £10,000.

The council said restoration work would begin in 2009.

Hastings Borough Council agreed to spend £60,000 and began an appeal to raise another £60,000 in May 2007.

'Original design'

Council leader, Peter Pragnell, said: "Well done and thank you to the Ex-Servicemen's Association who have managed to raise £20,000 for this great cause.

"The memorial will mostly be restored to its original design, repairing the base, cleaning off the many paint layers and relocating the plaques to a new memorial wall.

"The fenced enclosure will have simplified new paths to allow plenty of room around it for our Remembrance Sunday services."

The structure was unveiled in 1922 to commemorate the men of Hastings & St Leonards who lost their lives during World War I.

In 1992 the names of those soldiers who died in World War II were added and the structure, designed by Rodin protege Margaret Winser, was given Grade II listing.