Funding has been provided by Nottinghamshire County Council's Building Better Communities initiative. It will be used to refurbish the memorial set in the heart of the town centre and revamp the area surrounding it.

The scheme will also involve the cleaning and re-pointing of a high wall known to locals as nine corners which dominates the main road into the town.

This work will be carried out in partnership with the Kimberley Regeneration Group, which is represented by the county council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Kimberley Town Council, local businesses and residents.

The work will take place in several phases during the summer and autumn and will include:

• new paving, lighting, bins, and the refurbishment of the seating around the war memorial, and a replacement of the existing interpretation board which gives details of the town's history;

• a memorial plaque, dedicated to local hero Sergeant Richard Bolitho, who was killed by a Lancaster bomber during World War II, aged 23;

• cleaning and restoration of the nine corners wall and thinning of the tree canopy in a bid to enhance the entrance to the town centre. The tree work is expected to start in September after the bird nesting season.

Nottinghamshire county councillor Ken Rigby, who chairs the Kimberley Regeneration Group, said: "I am pleased to be involved in the work of the Kimberley Regeneration Group, and am delighted that the Building Better Communities initiative has been able to fund much needed improvements to the area.

"This scheme is a fine example of partnership work and demonstrates what can be achieved for the community when different organisations work well together. I would like to thank everybody who has been involved in the scheme as this could not have been achieved without them."
In addition to the County Council's Building Better Communities work, further improvements will be made via the Local Accessibility Transport Scheme (LATS) later this year.

Building Better Communities is a wide ranging eight year programme that will see £39 million invested in making the county a better place to live and work.