Caring for the war memorials
Ilkeston and Long Eaton War Memorials will be given a specialist clean this autumn ahead of the commemoration to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.
Erewash Borough Council has confirmed it will enlist a specialist company to clean the stonework using a low pressure system, with the work due to take place at the end of October.
The railings around the memorials in Ilkeston Market Place and Long Eaton Market Place will also be painted and the areas around them cleaned and planted to ensure they look in the best possible condition for the Armistice commemorations in November.
As well as the two town centre War Memorials, stonework will also be cleaned on memorials at Ilkeston’s St Mary’s Church and at Park Cemetery.
Councillor Michael Powell, Erewash Borough Council’s Lead Member for Regeneration and Planning, says:
“Our War Memorials play an important and valued role in remembering those who sacrificed their lives in war, so we saw it as a key priority to invest in a clean-up – especially when this November will see landmark Remembrance events to commemorate the end of the First World War.”
The Ilkeston and Long Eaton war memorials are cared for all year round and the council’s Pride in Erewash and parks teams work with local schools to plant seasonal flowers around them – but environmental conditions lead to some discolouring.
The latest specialist clean comes four years after a major restoration of the two War Memorials in 2014 when the stonework and plaques were cleaned and repaired for commemorations to mark the centenary of the start of the First World War.
