A public consultation on plans for a war memorial in Raploch will take place later this month - after almost two years of discussions.
The proposals for the permanent memorial to the fallen were dreamt up by local pensioner Mick Lowe but the impact of the Covid pandemic forced a slow down, with planning permission proving the latest hurdle.
However, with community efforts to bring the memorial to life now kicking into gear, residents will get the chance to assess the plans at the Raploch Community Campus over January 27 and 28 between 10am and 4pm.
Raploch Community Council chairman Steph Lee said: “It’s obviously been a bit of a stop-start process over the last couple of years. There have been a lot of phone calls and we’ve had some great partnerships with local groups including Raploch Community Partnership, St Mark’s and St Margaret’s, Stirling Council and the Salvation Army.
“Robertson Construction also want to leave a legacy after they leave the area and so they’ve been offering advice with planning permission and design and it’s been invaluable.
“We’ve been helped by stonemason and designer Derek Main from Aberuthven in Perthshire and he offers maintenance on it every year.
“We’ve really got everything in place and we can start fundraising, but the main problem is the planning permission.
“The consultation is really an opportunity for local people to have their say and see what they think.”
The project came about after pensioner Mick began researching soldiers to find out more about his dad John, who died in 1948 after being a prisoner of war during World War Two.
Mick discovered a total of 68 soldiers who died during the Second World War from Raploch - with a clamour to erect a permanent monument for their memory.
Steph believes working on the memorial has also helped members of the community during the isolation of the Covid-19 lockdown.
He said: “It’s been brilliant seeing the community coming together; it was a bit of a lightbulb moment of asking why we didn’t already have one here.
“A lot of other places have them and so we realised Raploch should. It will look nice in the village square next to the campus. It’s not just an educational point for the kids, it will act as a muster point for the remembrance services as well because it’s important to not forget the people who gave the ultimate sacrifice from Raploch.”
