Eastchurch aviation memorial given new lease of life

Published Monday 4 April, 2022
Last updated on Monday 4 April, 2022

Swale Borough Council has invested £24,000 to restore the Eastchurch aviation memorial on the Isle of Sheppey.

The damaged timber slats along the bench have been replaced and the brickwork along the back of the memorial has been repaired and the anti-climb paint removed.

A new drainage system has been installed to stop the build-up of rainwater, the pavement has been jet washed and the stone monument has been specially cleaned.

Cllr Mike Baldock, cabinet member for planning at the council; said:

“Eastchurch war memorial has been left untended for a long time.

“We have an annual budget to maintain memorials around the borough, but it’s nowhere near what we needed to bring Eastchurch aviation memorial back to life.

“People come from all over the world to see this internationally important memorial and it has been allowed to fall into a very sorry state. It celebrates the Isle of Sheppey’s role in the birth of aviation in the early 1900’s and is a wonderful place to sit for visitors and residents.”

“In light of this neglect and the monument’s important heritage status, I decided to allocate money from the improvement and resilience fund to revamp the memorial after the parish council brought it to our attention last year.

“Now we’ve restored the memorial, it can continue to stand as a fitting tribute to the brave men and women that were a part of this historic activity on Sheppey.