A war memorial in the community of Dores has been returned to its former glory as the country gears up to celebrate the centenary anniversary of the First World War.
The arch shaped memorial, situated at the entrance to the village churchyard, has undergone £50,000 worth of restoration works, as part of an ambitious community project to revitalise their distinctive war memorial.
The cost of the works was met by grants from various organisations including £28,130 from the Centenary Memorials Restoration Fund, and including donations from local residents.
Leading up to the centenary, the Highland Council has allocated £50,000 a year to restoring the historic structures; with work currently underway at a number of other memorials including Kingussie, Newtonmore, Glengarry, Lochaline, Laggan, Acharacle, Aviemore, Munlochy, Glenfinnan, Ballachulish and Glencoe, Kilchoan and Ferenish.
Councillor Margaret Davidson said: “Firstly I would like to congratulate the community of Dores and everyone involved with the project for their hard work. The craftsmanship of the detailed work is outstanding and the memorial now proudly stands out and is a credit all those who have volunteered their time and energy throughout the project and all the skilled professionals who worked on it.
“War Memorials stand at the heart of almost every community throughout the Highlands. Large numbers of Highland and Island communities were devastated as a result of war as the strong tradition of military service amongst Scots left many towns and villages with few adult males. I therefore feel it very fitting as we prepare to mark the centenary of World War I that work to bring these memorials back to their former glory is taking place.”
She added: “Much of this work is being done in-house with the council so I would like to pay tribute to the staff involved, especially Alf Leslie, for their commitment and outstanding work.”