It’s been a busy few months since my last blog so I thought I’d take this opportunity to tell you what we have been up to.
One of the important elements of the project is the research to confirm who is eligible to have their name inscribed on the cenotaph. Volunteers from the Chorley Branch of the Family History & Heraldry Society have been doing a fantastic job retrieving and cataloguing information from the Chorley Guardian archives and we have been fortunate to also have a list of men who gave a Chorley address as next of kin from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
However we don’t want to miss anyone so if you know of a Chorley person who lost their life during any conflict, then please get in touch with us to ensure they are remembered on the Cenotaph Memorial.
There has been a fair amount of activity during the past month in Astley Park. Chorley Borough Council has done a great job in clearing the shrubs behind the cenotaph and this has opened up the area, making it lighter and more welcoming. I’m sure these improvements will enhance the new memorial around the Cenotaph immeasurably.
We are currently working towards getting some initial designs drawn up for the work around the Cenotaph and once we have these we will be asking for people to give us comments. So far we have approximately 850 names to inscribe and having talked to several people about the site, I know that we have plenty of challenges ahead in order to ensure we get it right.
The survey being carried out on the Memorial Arch at Astley Park
On the 14th of February, we had a structural survey carried out on the Memorial Arch in Astley Park and we are awaiting the results of this.
The archway has been standing at the entrance to Astley Park since 1924 but is actually older having been moved there from the Gillibrand Estate.
Once we have the surveyors report, we can then decide what we need to do to ensure the Memorial Arch remains a Chorley landmark into the future.
Hitting the headlines in last few days has been the political unrest across northern Africa and the Middle East. Once again the skills and bravery of British service personnel has been called upon and just goes to show that today’s generation of service men and women are still providing us with an essential role that is both essential and fraught with danger.
Finally, you may have noticed in the local newspapers that we have launched an appeal for donations to help fund the Cenotaph improvements and whilst we are applying for funds from the Heritage Lottery, we do still need to find a proportion of the costs locally.
You can donate at any branch of the Chorley Building Society into our dedicated account “Chorley Remembers Memorial Appeal”.
We are also still keen to hear from anyone who has photos or information about any relatives who lost their lives in conflict or have an interesting story to tell.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.