Campaigners for a memorial to Britain's "forgotten" armed forces heroes have claimed a victory after winning a £2.8m lottery grant.
The Millennium Commission's donation is a milestone in the effort to honour 16,000 servicemen and women killed since the end of the Second World War, and follows the Big Lottery Fund's controversial refusal to provide funding because the project did not fit its criteria.
Announcing the grant, Millennium Commission chairman Richard Caborn MP said he was "delighted" that it was the body's last act before being wound up next week.
The Millennium Commission announced a grant of £2,416,500 towards the construction of the Armed Forces Memorial.
It is giving a further £416,500 towards infrastructure improvements at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, where the memorial is being built.
The memorial will be dedicated to members of the UK's armed forces killed on duty or as a result of terrorist action since the end of the Second World War.
This includes those who died in fields such as Palestine, Korea, Malaysia, the Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland.
Work started in October at the site of the memorial, which was designed by architect Liam O'Connor. The project still needs to raise another £1.5m.
Vice Admiral Sir John Dunt, chairman of the Armed Forces Memorial Trust, said: "I am very grateful to the Millennium Commissioners for agreeing to provide such tremendous support for this important national project."
The Millennium Commission was set up to allocate grants for millennium-related projects and is due to be abolished on November 30, subject to Parliamentary approval.
https://www.forcesmemorial.org/(The Armed Forces Memorial Appeal)
