Quarry rocks as it helps with memorial for town
A MEMORIAL to honour those from Braunstone Town who have fought and died in all wars has been installed for Remembrance Sunday, which this year commemorates the 100th anniversary of the end of the the Great War.
The memorial features two large granite rocks, donated and delivered by Aggregate Industries from its Bardon Hill quarry nearby.
The project was championed by Braunstone Community Life (BCL), a community newspaper, which felt the town needed to mark the centenary in a special way.
Rallying the Town Council and representatives from other groups, they created a poppy cascade and residents, aged five to 94, have been crafting 14,177 poppies; one for each Leicestershire man who died in the First World War.
It was while looking for the best place to display the cascade that the absence of an appropriate war memorial in Braunstone Town became apparent. The only area that existed was within the Civic Centre gardens and had a small concrete block and plaque commemorating the American D-Day veterans who were stationed there during the Second World War.
With the Town Council funding garden renovations, BCL set about replacing the lump of concrete, which is where Aggregate Industries stepped in.
Lin Burrows, editor at BCL, said: “Despite having limited funds, we decided we should try and source some Leicestershire stone and erect a war memorial for the victims of all wars.
“We knew we wanted some form of attractive and long-lasting natural stone but didn’t really know much else about what to ask for. We contacted Aggregate Industries’ Bardon Hill quarry and they responded with more than we could have hoped for.
“We had raised funds to pay for the stones, yet Aggregate Industries donated not one, but two... rocks!”
Alan Barrett, regional director for Aggregates North at Aggregate Industries, said: “Upon learning the details of the project, it struck a chord for us all and we felt we could do a lot more.”
Lin added: “We couldn’t be more thrilled with Aggregate Industries’ very kind donation. The stones are far bigger than we could ever have afforded and will look a lot more dramatic. ”
The 14,177 poppies were unveiled on November 1 and will be in place throughout the month, outside Braunstone Civic Centre, flowing along the ground around the new war memorial.