Memorial garden lottery grant boost

GREAT Alne and Kinwarton Memorial Hall has just received a huge boost to its appeal for funds to create a Centenary Memorial Garden on the derelict land behind the hall.

A Big Lottery Grant of £10,000 has just been awarded to the project which was launched to commemorate the ending of the Great War 100 years ago and the part played in the Great War by the men and women from Great Alne and Kinwarton.

The hall was built in 1921 as a war memorial, funded entirely by local residents.

Martyn Davey, the hall committee chairman, said: “We are absolutely delighted with this award. When taken together with money we have already received from gift-aided private donations, it means that we are now able to move the project forward with a view to opening the garden in time for the summer of 2018.

“There is still some way to go before we have all the money we need but we are optimistic that our appeal will reach its target of £25,000 before the end of this year.”

He added that the success of the lottery funding application was due in no small measure to the invaluable support the hall had received from the Alcester Branch of The Royal British Legion, county and district councillor Mike Gittus, both Great Alne and Kinwarton Parish Councils, Great Alne School, Great Alne and Kinwarton Women’s Institute, Great Alne and Kinwarton Parochial Church Council, Great Alne Cricket Club, and the clubs, groups and classes that use the hall and from local residents.