A GROUP of Ribchester residents have succeeded in their campaign for a new war memorial in the village.

The Ribchester War Memorial Association was established in July last year and set about planning the project.

They have raised around £20,000 for the work which they hope will start in April.

The group is aiming to officially unveil the new memorial, which will be sited on land by the Greenside car park, in August after the plans were approved by Ribble Valley Borough Council on Thursday night.

The memorial will commemorate the sacrifices of 22 local soldiers who fought during both world wars.

The Church of England soldiers are currently commemorated separately in St Wilfrid’s CE Church, with the Roman Catholic soldiers remembered on a plaque at St Peter and St Paul’s RC Church in the village.

The application to build the memorial was passed in a matter of minutes at the meeting in Clitheroe with councillors agreeing that it would be ‘an asset to the community’.

Coun Ian Sayers, who represents Ribchester on Ribble Valley Borough Council, said: “It’s wonderful that a group of residents have managed to pull together and create something that will mark the sacrifices of the soldiers.

“The village needs a central memorial for everyone to visit and be able to reflect on past events.

“The group already has enough money to purchase the stone and it’s hoped that work will start in April.”

Marc Mallam, who sits on the group’s committee, said: “This is great news for the village and it’s fantastic that so many people have pulled together to get this project off the ground.

“The village has never had something like this before and it’s great that we will have something in place by the summer.

“I hope that the community will appreciate the memorial and be able to think about those who lost their lives in both world wars.”