Dame Vera Lynn memorial campaign aims to raise £1m

Campaigners are trying to raise £1m to pay for the completion of a memorial to Dame Vera Lynn.

More than £600,000 has been raised for the sculpture so far - which also features scenes of entertainers performing for the Armed Forces - but campaigners say they need another £1m to bronze it.

It is then set to be placed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Dame Vera's daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones, said the work was not only for the late singer, but "also for all artists who gave their time" during World War II.

Dame Vera lived in the village of Ditchling, East Sussex, until her death at the age of 103 in 2020.

"Her whole life was in service," her former personal assistant, Susan Fleet, said.

"Her voice means so much to people, not just then but still now."

An initial campaign to fundraise for the sculpture was launched by former Southend West MP David Amess in June 2021.

Mr Amess was murdered later that year, with Ms Lewis-Jones saying a tribute to him would be included in the memorial.

It had been proposed to locate the statue in Dover, but funding could not be raised to build a memorial park to house it on the Western Heights.

One of Dame Vera's most celebrated wartime hits was The White Cliffs of Dover.

Created by artist Paul Day, the completed statue will feature a 3m (10ft) diameter bronze disc with Dame Vera at its centre.

Mr Day, from Horsham, said: “I like my art to serve stories that are meaningful and impact us all in some ways.”

Alongside raising funds online, the Dame Vera Lynn Memorial Statue Fund is to host a ticketed gala dinner in London later this month.

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