Sheffield urged to protect city's 350 war memorials

Our city's war heroes need you.
Judi Siddall, War Memorials officer for Sheffield Council, with Anna Wilson, Senior Development Officer Civic Voice and Paul Bedwell, memberships secretary for Sheffield Civic Trust show The Star's editor Nancy Fielder the Victoria Memorial.Judi Siddall, War Memorials officer for Sheffield Council, with Anna Wilson, Senior Development Officer Civic Voice and Paul Bedwell, memberships secretary for Sheffield Civic Trust show The Star's editor Nancy Fielder the Victoria Memorial.
Judi Siddall, War Memorials officer for Sheffield Council, with Anna Wilson, Senior Development Officer Civic Voice and Paul Bedwell, memberships secretary for Sheffield Civic Trust show The Star's editor Nancy Fielder the Victoria Memorial.

People in Sheffield are being urged to play a part in conserving and protecting their local war memorials as part of a project to commemorate the First World War.

Money is available for repair and conservation work as part of a new project to commemorate World War I.

Wadsley Bridge War MemorialWadsley Bridge War Memorial
Wadsley Bridge War Memorial
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But experts believe there are unknown memorials hidden in the city which have never been publicly recorded.

Now they want Sheffielders help to track them down and survey them so the can be cleaned up to a standard which is a fitting tribute to the fallen.

The programme aims to inspire communities across the country to survey and conserve their war memorials.

It aims is to make sure that by the end of the centenary of the First World War, in 2018, as many war memorials as possible are in good condition and ‘fitting tributes to the fallen’.

Totley War memorialTotley War memorial
Totley War memorial
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With the help of Civic Voice, one of the four partner organisations running the programme, Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Civic Trust are working together with volunteers across the city to record the condition of all war memorials.

Funding is available for the repair and conservation of memorials, but help is needed to find them and record their condition first, using a simple survey.

Volunteers are being asked to attend a workshop in Sheffield on either May 5, May 11, May 23 or May 27 to find out more.

There are around 350 known war memorials in Sheffield but experts believe there could be many more.

Ranmoor War MemorialRanmoor War Memorial
Ranmoor War Memorial
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They are urging people to check their parks, schools, streets, offices and even homes for the tributes which are often just small plaques.

And organisers also hope the project will help families track down the memorials which honour their own relatives.

Judi Siddall, War Memorials Officer at Sheffield City Council, said: “We are holding workshops throughout Sheffield to introduce the project and train volunteers on how to record the condition of war memorials.

“We would like as many people as possible to come along.”

Gleadless & Hollinsend War memorialGleadless & Hollinsend War memorial
Gleadless & Hollinsend War memorial

Paul Bedwell, membership officer of Sheffield Civic Trust said: “If people from every area of the city were to undertake a simple survey of their local war memorial the result could be that all of the county’s memorials could be in really good condition by 2018 when the real commemoration of the end of the war takes place.”

If you would like to attend a workshop, reserve your free place by visiting http://www.civicvoice.org.uk/get-involved/events or contact [email protected]