SUMMERSEAT is to remember its war dead - almost 63 years after the end of the Second World War.

The village's war memorial, which was erected after the end of the First World War in 1918, is to be updated to include the names of those who died in subsequent military conflicts.

The memorial, in the graveyard at Rowlands Methodist Church, Rowlands Road, was paid for by donations from members of the church congregation after the end of the First World War.

Now members of the current congregation are appealing for the names of Summerseat residents who died in the Second World War and other conflicts so that they can be added.

The initiative is part of a clean-up of the memorial. There is currently no space for more names but the church is to pay for a new plinth to be added at the base of the monument in order to accommodate more names.

Church steward Anne McDonald said: "If you look at a lot of these war memorials across the country they only have names of the dead from the First World War. I suppose that after the end of the Second World War in the mid 1940s, money was short and people just didn't think about adding the names.

"The memorial was looking rather tatty so we've decided to clean it up and get the letters re-gilded. We thought this would also be a good opportunity to finally recognise those who died in other conflicts. It's a bit late but it's something we would like to do because there are people who lost loved ones and who would really appreciate their names being remembered.

"There are more than 760 letters on the memorial at the moment, so that's quite a lot of names but I'm sure many more people from Summerseat lost their lives in other wars.

"We need people to get in contact with us if they would like us to include the name of a lost friend or relative who had a connection with Summerseat."

Anyone interested in suggesting names for the memorial should contact Anne McDonald on 01706 824 246. The church is to pay for the new plinth but may request a contribution to the cost of lettering, which costs £1 per letter.

Another project in the grounds of Rowlands Methodist Church has just been completed. The church has opened a new memorial garden where ashes can be buried.