- Tradition Secretary Lucy Frazer gave her dedication to the statue marketing campaign
- She stated the deliberate memorial was a ‘becoming tribute’ to late singer Vera Lynn
- Dame Vera, identified for her track The White Cliffs of Dover, died in 2020
A marketing campaign to fund a memorial to honour Dame Vera Lynn will obtain a £1million enhance if the Conservatives win energy, it was revealed on Friday.
Tradition Secretary Lucy Frazer gave her dedication to the marketing campaign, backed by the Every day Mail, and stated the memorial was a ‘becoming tribute’ to the late singer.
The 12ft vast sculpture is because of stand on the Nationwide Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, however wanted a closing funding enhance earlier than it may very well be accomplished.
The Conservatives’ pledge can be sufficient to see it completed, and was welcomed by fundraisers and associates of Dame Vera, referred to as the Forces’ Sweetheart.
Ms Frazer advised the Mail: ‘I do know it is a marketing campaign that’s near the Mail’s coronary heart and I’m delighted to decide to backing the long-running marketing campaign backed by the Mail to construct a memorial statue of Dame Vera Lynn if we’re re-elected.
A marketing campaign to fund a memorial to honour Dame Vera Lynn will obtain a £1million enhance if the Conservatives win energy, it was revealed on Friday
The 12ft vast sculpture is because of stand on the Nationwide Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, however wanted a closing funding enhance earlier than it may very well be accomplished
‘Dame Vera Lynn was an inspiration to the nation. A memorial to her life and legacy shall be a becoming tribute to somebody who gave us hope in our darkest hours.’
Dame Vera, whose war-time songs included The White Cliffs of Dover, died in 2020 and the marketing campaign to construct a memorial in her honour has gained cross-party help from MPs.
It was initially led by Sir David Amess, the Conservative MP for Southend West in Essex, earlier than his tragic homicide in 2021.
He campaigned for a tribute to Dame Vera as an emblem of energy through the Second World Conflict and to her lifetime of charity work.
Anna Firth, the Conservative candidate for Southend West, stated: ‘Dame Vera Lynn was, and nonetheless is, an inspiration to the nation.
‘I’m so proud that the Conservatives are ensuring this vital memorial is constructed not just for the legacy of Dame Vera but in addition for my predecessor, Sir David Amess, who began this marketing campaign.
‘Solely beneath a Conservative authorities will this memorial get the funding it must be constructed and sit up for the challenge correctly getting underway.’
The sculpture, meant as a tribute to all wartime entertainers, has been designed by Paul Day, who created the Battle of Britain Memorial on London’s Victoria Embankment.
Dame Vera was an emblem of energy through the Second World Conflict. Pictured: The Forces’ Sweetheart with British servicemen in Burma, 1942
Susan Fleet, former PA to Dame Vera Lynn and a detailed private buddy, stated: ‘The Dame Vera Lynn Memorial Statue Committee is delighted and grateful to obtain the information of the Conservatives’ pledge to donate £1million to finish the Memorial for the ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’.’
It’s understood the funding will come from present departmental budgets.
