Chorley Remembers Trustees, staff and volunteers are bracing themselves for a busy twelve months as they look to complete the Heritage Lottery funded project.
The Chorley Remembers team have a busy year ahead
In September we were awarded £270,000 of funding and have been busy behind the scenes getting everything in place for 2012.
Our plans include capital works by way of placing the names of the fallen around Chorley’s War Memorial in Astley Park, conservation work on the near-by Memorial Arch, work on interpretation and improving access to the Chorley Pals Memorial on the Flat Iron, and creating a new and permanent ‘Remembrance Experience’ in the town’s museum at Astley Hall.
Besides updating the website, in January we will present an illustrated talk entitled ‘We will remember them’ at Chorley Library on the afternoon of Tuesday, 10th starting at 2.30 p.m. – aimed at keeping everyone informed of progress to date.
This will be followed by an appeal for names to be engraved on stone panels adjacent to the War Memorial, having already identified 675 names of men from the town who died in two World Wars, plus a number who died in more recent conflicts.
We intend to publish initial plans for the work in late January, giving local people the opportunity to comment accordingly.
Besides a number of openings and unveiling ceremonies, there are plans for a ‘Chorley Remembers Day’ in Astley Park at the start of July, a month long exhibition at Astley Hall in November, with the project ending with a ‘Legacy Concert’ at Chorley Town Hall in early December.
Also being produced and delivered by the project will be a remembrance trail leaflet, education packs for schools; numerous talks, workshops and exhibitions, a new book being written by local historian and author, Steve Williams, plus a ‘memories project’ which will include ROF Chorley.
Commenting on the plans, Project Manager Nikki Davidson-Kerr said “It is going to be an exciting year with something for everyone to see or to get involved in”, a sentiment echoed by the town’s Member of Parliament and project Chairman, Lindsay Hoyle who also said “2012 will be an important year in Chorley’s history and I know the people of the Borough will take great pride in what we produce, not only for now but for generations to come”.
