£20million town board steps in to help replace stolen war memorial in Darlaston
The £20million Darlaston Town Board has pledged to help replace part of the town’s war memorial after it was stolen this summer.
The Darlaston Pride in Place board has offered to plug the shortfall between money already raised by the community and the final cost of restoring the Victoria Road cenotaph.
West Midlands Police arrested a 40-year-old man in connection with the theft who was then released under investigation.
Following the incident, many members of the community launched fundraising efforts in order to replace the plaque.
Members of the Darlaston Plan board have now pledged to meet any reasonable shortfall between money already raised and the final total.
A spokesperson for the Darlaston plan said work is already underway with the War Memorials Trust, Walsall Council and specialist manufacturing companies.
It is hoped that the replacement will be completed and installed in time for Remembrance events in November.
A spokesperson for the Darlaston Plan said: “A number of people have already put considerable effort into raising money and trying to resolve this, and we want to build on that work rather than duplicate it.
“The Darlaston Plan has therefore agreed that, once we know the final cost, we will make up any reasonable difference between the money already raised and the amount needed to complete the replacement.
“Our immediate priority is to bring everybody who has been working on this together, establish the correct specification and find a supplier capable of producing and fitting the plaque.
“Remembrance Day gives us an ambitious deadline and we cannot promise at this stage that it can be achieved, because some of the timetable will depend upon specialist manufacturers, but we are going to make every effort to get it done.
“Darlaston’s War Memorial belongs to the whole community and commemorates local people who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“We think it is important that the missing plaque is restored properly and with the respect the memorial deserves.”