A NEW war memorial is in the works to coincide with commemorations of VE Day after Workington Town Council voted in favour of the plans.

The World War Two 75th Anniversary Working Group made a number of proposals to the town council on Wednesday, outlining their plans for commemorations of Victory in Europe Day.

Acts of remembrance will be taking place on Friday May 8 to mark 75 years since the end of World War Two.

Councillors agreed to all recommendations made in the group’s report.

Plans include a new £30,000 memorial, complementing the cenotaph at Vulcan Park, a service on the day and grants of up to £300 for commemorative community projects.

Chair of the culture committee, Councillor Carole Armstrong has led the charge on the plans.

Coun Armstrong said: “Everybody was all for it, it is something you cannot ignore. We are hoping to have a statue and a memory garden.”

The proposal called for a budget of £30,000 with £20,000 for groundwork and £10,000 spent on the statue.

The working group proposed that the project be funded through council reserves initially with a charitable fund established to contribute.

A charitable account has also been proposed to raise public funds for the memorial and the working group will continue to manage the project moving forward.

The group will approach music charity Soundwave who they hope will create a sound installation to be played through The Hub and the Vulcan Park PA system, with a reading of names from the Roll of Honour.

Councillor Joe Holliday backed the plans for a new memorial which would celebrate a number of communities as opposed to exclusively those who served in the army.

“It’s different because you always think of the First World War which was fought mostly on the ground. They are open to celebrating more than just the soldiers. It will be interesting to see something like that.”