New plaques for Donnington war memorial

Jay Gough and Brett Murray of Donnington have been focusing on the area's memorial, in a park near the main road through Donnington.

Mr Gough said that the memorial's old plaques were of low quality and even featured some spelling mistakes.

Having previously cleaned up the area around the memorial, he decided to shell out for new brass plaques, with laser-engraved tributes to the "men of the parish [who] fell in the Great War 1914-1918".

He hopes to install them soon and have them secured against potential thieves.

He explained why the memorial is a cause close to him: "I'm a former soldier and I left the army through with post-traumatic stress disorder through medical discharge.

"It's just one of the most important places in the world for me. Working up there, other than my family, it gives me a reason to live.

"It's my way of giving back. If it wasn't for those people we wouldn't be living the way we do today.

"The least I can do is sort the memorial out. It's about looking after a beautiful piece of history."

They have also jet-washed the bricks surrounding the memorial.

"One resident said to me 'that's the best I've seen it looking in the 45 years I've been here.'," said Mr Gough.