AN 89-YEAR-OLD war memorial built to pay homage to the First World War's fallen soldiers will receive restoration works over the summer.

Donations from Bracknell Town Council, Bracknell Regeneration Partnership (BRP), regeneration contractor Simpson (York) and Bracknell Forest Council mean the Stanley Walk Grade II-listed icon can be completely cleaned and repaired.

Each contributor will give �950 to the pot to ensure this is done properly.

Cllr Iain McCracken, executive member for culture, corporate services and public protection for the council, said: "It's extremely good news that, despite the scale of the transformation that Bracknell Forest Council and BRP have embarked on to the north of the town centre, they, together with the town council and Simpson (York), have paid enough attention to detail to ensure that an important war memorial can benefit from a restoration - shortly before the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. "Following the war memorial restoration, residents and visitors to the town will be able to commemorate those who gave their lives in both world wars for many more years to come."

Work will be undertaken by Mark Hopper, an experienced stone mason who has worked on projects such as Windsor Castle. He will spend his time replacing the damaged finger on the angel, repairing various parts of the memorial and giving it a thorough steam clean.

The statue has already been boarded off ready for work to begin.

The memorial was built in 1924 and originally stood on the edge of the old town, at the junction of Binfield Road and Wokingham Road. It was moved to its present location in 1950 as part of the development of the new town.

It was designated with a Grade II listing in October 2012.