A GRANT of £10,000 has been given to a village to create lasting memorials to the First World War.

Romanby Parish Council, near Northallerton in North Yorkshire, has received the funding windfall from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to mar the centenary of the Great War.

The Romanby Remembers project will focus on renovating the village’s war memorial clock tower and re-designing its memorial gardens, as well as creating an archive of the lives of those on the memorial and their families.

Councillor Stuart Bradnam, chairman of the parish council, said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and by involving our community over the next 20 months in the restoration, re-design and research activities, we hope to create a lasting legacy in Romanby for future generations, that people enjoy both volunteering their time for, and will be proud to say they were part of.”

The community-designed memorial garden will include new trees, benches, landscaping, lawns and paths which are wheelchair accessible.

The project will also involve create a resource which will tell the story of everyone commemorated on the memorial.

Romanby parishioners, including schools, youth groups, and other organisations will be invited to help research the stories of the men who died and life in Romanby during the Great War. The resulting resource will be available to all on the internet and available as learning packs in local schools.

A public meeting for volunteers wanting to get involved with the project will be held at Romanby WI Hall on January 29 at 7.30pm. It will provide people with an opportunity to contribute ideas to the design work for the garden and reference material as well as hear how the project is expected to unfold.

The funding was awarded from the HLF’s First World War: then and now programme.

Fiona Spiers, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Yorkshire and the Humber said: “The impact of the First World War was far reaching, touching and shaping every corner of the UK and beyond.

“The Heritage Lottery Fund has already invested more than £64 million in projects – large and small - that are marking this global centenary. With our new small grants programme, we are enabling even more communities like those involved in Romanby Remembers to explore the continuing legacy of this conflict and help local young people in particular to broaden their understanding of how it has shaped our modern world.”