Up to £200,000 will be provided over the next four years as part of a project to refurbish Highland war memorials.

The announcement comes shortly before the centenary of the start of World War One.

In a statement, the local authority said funding of £50,000 per year would allow the Council to submit bids for further funding of £110,000 from external sources – such as the Scottish Government's Centenary Memorial Restoration Fund – to repair and refurbishment 175 war memorials. The Council is responsible for the memorials, and certain criteria applied to Centenary Memorial Restoration Fund grant applications. They include:

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• Applications can be from anyone, not just Councils

• Applications should include three competitive quotations for all works

• Maximum grant will be 75% of eligible costs up to a maximum of £30,000 per memorial

• Funds will be release quarterly until March 2018 at approximately £50,000 to £60,000 per quarter

• Applications can cover multiple memorials.

Applications will be awarded a priority by the War Memorials Trust, from 1 to 5, with funds being released for high scoring applications. Those being prioritised will include memorials that have suffered serious erosion and structural defects, while others need cleaning or re-lettering.

(JP/CD)