A memorial to the men from Huntingdon who were killed in the Boer War is to get a makeover after it became one of the first in the country to be awarded a grant from a restoration fund.

The £1,330 grant has come from a war memorials fund set up by Hopkins Homes which is building houses at the Alconbury Weald development.

The money comes from £10,000 set aside from the £500,000 Hopkins Charitable Fund and goes towards cleaning and repairs to the memorial which is in George Street at the rear of All Saints Church.

It commemorates the 38 men from Huntingdon who were killed fighting in South Africa between 1899 and 1902.

The memorial is Grade II listed and was built in 1902, using a Portland stone pillar and housing a bronze statue of St George, based on Donatello’s statue in Florence.

It is in a neglected condition and needs a clean.

James Hopkins, executive chairman of Hopkins Homes said: “I’m delighted that the first grants for the conservation of war memorials across East Anglia have now been announced, as part of the Hopkins charitable fund.

“War memorials are an important focal point for communities and this will be particularly poignant this year for communities commemorating the centenary of the end of World War I.”

Mr Hopkins added: “It is an honour to help support this conservation work and I am looking forward to learning more about the projects and seeing the results.”

Frances Moreton, director of the War Memorials Trust said: “War Memorials Trust is delighted that Hopkins Homes has asked us to administer their generous donation to support war memorials in East Anglia.

“This year the nation will mark the centenary of World War I so we have seen a significant increase in the number of requests from communities hoping to repair and conserve their war memorials.

“We encourage everyone to visit their local war memorial, check the condition of it and get in touch with War Memorials Trust if they have any concerns.”

It is believed that up to 8,000 of the UK’s estimated 100,000 war memorials are in poor or very bad condition and the War Memorials Trust is the only charity in the UK which works solely for their protection.

Since it was founded 20 years ago, it has administered more than £4 million to 1,800 communities looking to repair and conserve their memorials.