Lord-Lieutenant of County Londonderry welcomed to Garvagh
Fri, December 03, 2021
The Lord-Lieutenant of County Londonderry has met with members of the Royal British Legion and Museum volunteers during a visit to Garvagh.
Mrs Alison Millar was welcomed by the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Richard Holmes, and the RBL Chairman Mr Ian Davidson on Saturday 30th November.
The engagement provided an opportunity to find out more about restoration work to the town’s War Memorial and included a tour of Garvagh Museum.
Garvagh War Memorial, a Grade B listed structure first constructed in 1924, recently benefited from a £20,000 grant from the War Memorials Trust which helped fund extensive refurbishment work, including the installation of new floors, a new roof, and a replacement lighting scheme.
Speaking afterwards, the Mayor said: “I would like to thank the Lord-Lieutenant for taking the time to meet with us in Garvagh, and for her interest in the recently completed work at the War Memorial. We are very grateful to the War Memorials Trust for their support which will allow us to preserve the monument for the future and ensure it remains an important focal point in the town. I was very pleased to see the refurbishment completed ahead of Remembrance Sunday where I had the privilege of laying a wreath on behalf of Council.
“At Garvagh Museum, volunteers were delighted to have the opportunity to showcase their collections which tell a fascinating story about by-gone-days. The Museum is a fantastic asset for both the local community and visitors to the town. Its ongoing development is testament to those supporters who consistently give up their time to ensure its continued success through their passion for preserving history and heritage.”
Frances Moreton, Director, War Memorials Trust said: "War memorials are a link between previous generations, ours and those who follow us. They enable us to pay tribute to the sacrifices of so many. War Memorials Trust is delighted to support this project and assist the community to improve the condition of the war memorial. If anyone knows of any other war memorials in need of help please contact the charity or, if you believe in the importance of our work, support us as the charity can only give further grants if it raises enough money."
Garvagh War Memorial is located at the southern end of Main Street in Garvagh. Works to renovate the War Memorial were awarded to Clarke Restoration with works beginning in August 2021 before completion ahead of Remembrance Sunday 2021. Works included raking out and repointing all joints, concrete repairs, replacement of concrete copings, removal of all floors and replacement with new floors, construction of new roof and new lighting scheme.
War Memorials Trust is an independent registered charity. Established in 1997 due to concerns about neglect and vandalism it works to protect and conserve war memorials. It provides advice, information and administers grants schemes that assist the repair and conservation of war memorials across the UK. As a charity the Trust relies on voluntary contributions to undertake its work. Supporters include annual and life members, donors, charitable trusts and corporate contributors. www.warmemorials.org
War Memorials Trust administers a number of grant programmes supporting war memorials across the UK. Further information on the funding available can be found at www.warmemorials.org/grants. Examples of projects previously supported, which can be searched by county and country, can be found at www.warmemorials.org/search-grants.
