KIRKCONNEL’S War Memorial is to receive a £3,375 restoration grant.

First Minister Alex Salmond announced the award last Thursday as part of £103,000 pot to restore memorials across Scotland to their former glory.

The foundation supporting the path around the memorial, in Kirkconnel Main Street, are in poor condition and as a result of structural movement the surface of the path has cracked.

In addition the path kerb stones have been extensively damaged.

The grant funding will help fund the repair and replacement of the brick foundations and path surface.

This work will include the replacement of damaged kerb stones.

The Centenary Memorials Fund has helped 13 projects so far and applications can still be made to help the repair and conservation Scotland’s war memorials. The £1 million fund is a central part of the Scottish Government programme commemorating the centenary of WWI.

The First Minister said: “Scotland, in common with so many other nations, suffered an appalling loss of life in the Great War, and its effects on Scottish life were profound and long-lasting.

“Scotland’s war memorials are a lasting tribute to fallen service men and women and it is hugely important that they are maintained. We owe it to the names inscribed on these memorials as well as the families they’ve left behind to keep monuments in a proud condition, reflecting the respect they deserve.

“War monuments play a central role in educating our young people about the ultimate sacrifice members of their community have paid in conflicts throughout the generations.

“I would encourage more communities all over Scotland to apply to the Centenary Memorials Restoration Fund to help keep these monuments a central and permanent reminder of fallen service men and women now and for generations.”