City war memorial wins prestigious award

23 September 2016

A Bridge of Don war memorial has picked up a prestigious award at the annual Best Kept War Memorial campaign run by the Legion Scotland (Royal British Legion Scotland).

The Oldmachar memorial, which Bridge of Don Community Council carries out a lot of work for, was named the best War Memorial without Gardens for the second year running and representatives from Legion Scotland Oldmachar will pick up the trophy on behalf of all its members at a presentation ceremony in Edinburgh.

Legion Scotland has run the awards for over 40 years as part of its remembrance programme. The competition encourages communities to look after their war memorial in tribute to those in their region who died whilst serving their country.

Matt Fyfe, Chairman, Legion Scotland Oldmachar, said: “Our war memorial is a fitting tribute to the local service men and women who gave their lives for our country. It is a reminder of the sacrifice many people in our area made in order to protect the lives of future generations and it’s important that we ensure it is looked after and well kept. To win this award is fantastic and we were delighted to receive it.”

The awards consist of seven categories; Champion of Champions, Large Community with Gardens, Small Community with Gardens, War Memorial without Gardens, Satellite War Memorial with Gardens, Satellite War Memorial without Gardens and New Entry.

Kevin Gray MM, Chief Executive Officer, Legion Scotland, said: “We always get a fantastic response from our local branches for the Best Kept War Memorial campaign and this year was no different. Remembrance is at the heart of what we do and war memorials are an important aspect of this. We congratulate all the winners for their efforts in preserving these historical landmarks to such a high standard.”

Legion Scotland is the largest ex-service membership charity in Scotland working at the heart of the veterans’ community. With nearly 170 branches, 70 clubs and over 31,000 members, Legion Scotland provides essential wellbeing and befriending services for all veterans - whether they left service yesterday or 50 years ago - as well as providing disablement pension advice, comradeship events, grants and remembrance services.

Legion Scotland is the day-to-day name for the Royal British Legion Scotland and whilst it works alongside Poppyscotland and The Royal British Legion to deliver the best for veterans it has always been a separate charity from The Royal British Legion which operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. To donate £3, text ‘LSCO15 £3’ to 70070.

To find out more visit www.legionscotland.org.uk