Eyes On, Hands On – August update

The first volunteers have begun to help the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to maintain war graves in the UK as part of the Eyes On, Hands On project.

We have been blown away by the level of support and have received more than 800 applications. If you have applied, please bear with us while we work through these.

Following a busy summer of training and recruitment the first group leaders are now in place in east and south-west England, the project’s pilot areas. Volunteers in these regions will now begin to hear from their appointed group leader and be allocated a number of locations with war graves.

Each volunteer group will be asked to make visits to their local war graves and help CWGC to keep an eye on their condition. They will also be trained how to undertake minor works, such as trimming back vegetation and cleaning headstones.

Among the first groups to take part were young people from service families from RAF Coningsby.

Within the pilot regions of east and south-west England, we still have opportunities available in the following areas:

Dorset
North Devon
Newark area
Bedfordshire: Cardington, Shefford, Henlow, Chicksands, Bedford
Cambridgeshire: Cambridge, Huntingdon, Wyton, Brampton
Lincolnshire: Mablethorpe, East Coast
Eyes On, Hands On will roll out to the rest of the UK in spring 2020. If you live outside of the pilot areas, you are welcome to register an interest on our online form. You will be contacted next year once a group leader in your region is ready to allocate volunteers.

To apply or find out more visit: https://www.cwgc.org/learn/news-and-events/projects/eyes-on-hands-on