Re-dedication ceremony of Winsford’s War memorials to be held on 80th Anniversary of D-Day

A ceremony will be held on Thursday 6 June at 10:30am to re-dedicate Winsford’s two war memorials following their restoration and relocation to a new square in front of the town’s library as part of the town centre regeneration project.

Working closely with the Royal British Legion and Winsford Town Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council and Kier have enabled the works to be scheduled to allow for the 80^th anniversary of the D-Day landings to be commemorated at the same time.

The ceremony will be led by Reverend Allen Moyo, of St. Andrew’s Methodist Church and the Winsford Town Council Mayor’s Chaplain and will include blessings and readings to commemorate the town’s fallen and the heroic events of D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare.

Following the event, the space around the memorials will be temporarily closed to allow for additional works to take place before the new square is fully opened to the public later in the summer.

The two war memorials have been carefully dismantled, cleaned, restored and reassembled using specialist equipment by an experienced restoration specialist and stonemason supervised by Kier.

As part of the relocation to a new public square in front of Winsford Library, residents and visitors will benefit from improved and increased space around the memorials, which will be installed at surface level to provide better access for all.

The relocation of the war memorials is part of the Council-led £22 million regeneration of Winsford town centre, funded by the Council and the Government’s Future High Street Fund. It is the biggest investment in the town centre shopping area since the 1960s, made possible by the Council’s acquisition of the site in 2018.

The redevelopment involves the demolition of some existing buildings and the construction of new and improved spaces for businesses, with a new 168-space car park alongside improvement to walking, cycling access and dedicated cycle storage. New open public spaces are being created for pop-ups, events and visiting attractions, with more green space in the town centre than ever before, creating a relaxing and pleasant environment to enjoy. The regeneration works are progressing well, with the new Costa Coffee now open and work underway on the B&M superstore’s steel structure.

Cllr Nathan Pardoe, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy, Regeneration and Digital Transformation, said:

“I am delighted that work is now complete on the refurbishment and relocation of the war memorials, which has been a crucial part of Cheshire West and Chester Council’s ongoing regeneration project. It is thanks to the above and beyond efforts of Kier Construction and specialist contractors that we have been able to combine their re-dedication with the 80^th anniversary of D-Day. The public square will open permanently later in the summer, but ensuring access for this important anniversary is the right thing to do for Winsford.

“The new square will provide a better location for future remembrance events and enable us to better honour the town’s military contribution. It will be a fitting tribute to all those who served with improved lighting, landscaping and seating areas as the benches are also being relocated. The public square will be a space Winsford can be proud of.”

Sarah Morton, regional director for Kier Construction North & Scotland, said: 

“We are pleased that our Winsford construction team has been able to commemorate the D-Day anniversary while celebrating the successful relocation of the war memorials. Recognising the importance of these events, our team has provided an additional bench for the new square, which will be placed near the war memorials alongside the other relocated benches. We thank residents for their cooperation throughout the construction process.”

Cllr Wayne Fletcher, Town Mayor of Winsford, said:

“I am pleased that the work on relocating the war memorials is complete. They will be a focal point for the remembrance of the lives of many Winsford heroes. To have these completed for the D-Day anniversary is quite a feat and the town will be able to remember the fallen honourably. It will also be nice to have children from local schools visit on the day to be educated on what happened and why the memorials are there. We should be proud to remember what the veterans of this town have done for us and the country, and this is the finest way to do it.”

Winsford Library will be holding an exhibition from 3-15 June to commemorate the rededication of the Winsford war memorials and the 80^th anniversary of D-Day. This will include local history records, artifacts, photographs, books and wartime memorabilia.

Further information on the regeneration of Winsford town centre can be found on the Council website:

Winsford Town Centre | Cheshire West and Chester Council