“More than historic structures.” That’s how Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy summed up the role of cenotaphs and plaques as DCMS confirmed a £2 million grant for the National Heritage Memorial Fund on Sunday 9 November 2025. The money is aimed at repairing and conserving local war memorials across the UK, and Northern councils, churches and veterans’ groups are being urged to bid as Remembrance services take place today.

According to the government announcement, the National Heritage Memorial Fund will work with War Memorials Trust and Historic England, pairing grants with expert advice so communities can stabilise stonework, clean bronze and secure plaques-prioritising memorials most in need. DCMS says this is about practical conservation backed by specialists, not quick cosmetic fixes.

There are around 100,000 war memorials nationwide, many in churchyards, market squares and village halls that define local identity from Tyneside to the Pennines. After decades of weather and pollution, cracked masonry, loose lettering and failing joints are common-and small parishes often struggle to fund specialist work.

If you’re concerned about a memorial near you, start by checking War Memorials Online and upload photos and notes; the government points out that more than 3,000 people already contribute updates, helping funders and conservation officers see where problems are most urgent. It’s an easy first step before quotes and permissions.

DCMS frames today’s move as building on the Memorial Fund’s track record of saving important heritage. Past awards highlighted by officials include Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire-evidence that national funding can reach Northern projects when the case stacks up and communities are organised.

War Memorials Trust director Frances Moreton stressed why this work matters, noting the millions of lives ended or changed by conflict and the role memorials play in teaching later generations. Her message is blunt enough: “we still remember”.

The funding lands on Remembrance Sunday and follows this year’s commemorations marking 80 years since VE Day and VJ Day-an extra reminder, ministers say, to protect the places where those stories are told and retold.

For Northern communities, the task now is straightforward: line up partners, gather condition reports and costs, and be ready to apply. Parish councils, faith groups and veterans’ associations will be central-so will town halls making sure bids from smaller places don’t get lost behind flagship city-centre projects.

Readers across the North are clear about the priority: get cash to the cenotaphs in mill towns and the name tablets in rural chapels as much as the big civic squares. Publish the criteria quickly, keep the forms short, and show where every pound goes-no one wants cracked names still fading by next winter.

Full details sit on the DCMS press release, with routes into the National Heritage Memorial Fund, War Memorials Trust and the community mapping tool at warmemorialsonline.org.uk. If a memorial looks at risk, report it and seek specialist advice before any cleaning or repairs.