THE son of a former editor of the Ledbury Reporter will fully fund the restoration of the town's war memorial, to the tune £30,622.

The generous offer from Stuart Heaton, aged 95, a former RAF navigator on Lancaster bombers, was discussed at last week's full town council meeting, where his kind gesture was widely praised and welcomed.

But Mr Heaton, who now lives in London, told the Reporter he had a very personal reason for wanting to fund the restoration of the war memorial.

He said: "Several of the names on the memorial are known to me, and several of those I knew as people; that's the main reason. I thought it would be a wonderful thing to do - for myself. I count myself lucky that my name is not on there."

Mr Heaton took part in 22 bombing raids over Germany, from a base near Lincoln, and he still treasures his log books and maps.

He said: "It was a completely different time then to what we know now."

His father, Arthur Heaton, was the editor of the Ledbury Reporter for 34 years, from 1927 to 1961, and he and his wife, Biddy, are commemorated with a stained glass window in St Michael and All Angels Church.

The window was dedicated to their memory by their son, Stuart Heaton, in 1991.

Mr Heaton heard of the problems facing the war memorial because he receives a copy of The Ledbury Reporter every week, to keep up with local news.

The plan is to start the restoration in March or April in readiness for the 75th anniversary of VE Day, when Mr Heaton will be guest of honour at a ceremony.

To pay the bill, the council planned to take half the required sum from this year's budget and the remainder from next's year's budget; but now that will not be necessary, and the council's finances will look far more healthy as a consequence.

Councillors are looking at the best way to thank Mr Heaton for his kindness, and one idea is to place a plaque in his honour near to the war memorial, or perhaps under the Arthur Heaton window in the parish church.

Ledbury's deputy mayor, Cllr Daniel Vesma, who chaired last week's meeting, even suggested naming the council's panelled room after Mr Heaton.

The council also plans to pay for Mr Heaton's transport costs, when he makes his first visit to Ledbury in several years, for the VE Day commemoration.

Ledbury town clerk, Angie Price said: "The Town Council are extremely grateful for this extremely generous donation from Mr Heaton and would like to say thank you to him on behalf of the town.

"Councillors are considering ways in which they can recognise this within the town."

Water damage to the base of the memorial is so extensive, stones have cracked and the monument gives the odd impression of sinking into the pavement.

Repair works will include the cobbles around the base of the memorial being removed and Portland stone slabs being laid; a replacement base and upper stones being installed where required, and a drainage system to ensure no future flooding around the base of the stone.

The works should take approximately six weeks and the area around the memorial will be fenced off for safety and security purposes, during that period.