A group in Peasedown St John is working to ensure that a memorial is built commemorating the soldiers from the village who died in the First and Second World War.
The Peasedown St John War Memorial Trust hopes to raise a total of £50,000 to construct a memorial, which will is hoped will be built on the Miners Recreation Field.
The group aims to pull in £30,000 from private donations from individuals and businesses and raise another £20,000 through Heritage Lottery funding.
No public money or council taxes will be used to fund the memorial.
The trust will be hosting various events throughout the year, which are hoped will further boost funds.
A plaque at the village’s St John’s Church already honours those who died, but the trust wants to have a full memorial in tribute to them.
The memorial will eventually be located at an elevated position in the Miners Recreation Field overlooking the Mendip Hills, land which was donated to the group by the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation.
The trust felt that such a location would be fitting for the memorial, given that many of those from Peasedown who died came from mining families.
Jennifer Lewis-Mason, chairperson of the Peasedown St John War Memorial Trust, has campaigned to have a memorial installed in the village for a number of years.
She made a speech to Peasedown St John Parish Council in early September 2024 calling on the creation of the memorial. Following the speech, the council voted in support of the plan.
She said: “These young lads, in their teens some of them, lost their lives fighting for this country, and you can’t be braver than that and you can’t give any more than that. That is the ultimate sacrifice you can make.
“I feel that justice needs to be done and that these young men that came from this village need to be honoured in the appropriate way. This is what we think is the appropriate way; for there to be an eternal memory of them.
“All of the people I have spoken to have said about what a wonderful cause this is, and they are so pleased that we are doing it. I believe it shows what a caring and compassionate community we are because we don’t just think of the future or the present, but we honour the past.
“As a trust, each and every one of us is totally and utterly convinced that we are doing the right thing, otherwise we wouldn’t want to be in the trust. It’s all voluntary, and they’re giving their time time so wonderfully and so freely.”
To find out more about the Peasedown St John War Memorial Trust, you can visit the website here. Anyone who wishes to donate can do so through the JustGiving page.
Anyone who wishes to share their ideas for fundraising or support the trust for their events can do so by emailing [email protected].