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Londoners raise funds for Belgian monument

A appeal in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames hopes to pay for a monument to the Belgian refugees that fled to the East Twickenham area of the borough during the First World War. The Belgians were employed in a local munitions factory.

The appeal has already received a £5,000 (around 6,850 euro) boost from Richmond Council's civic pride fund, as well as £1,165 (almost 1,600 euro) in private donations.

Meanwhile, the East Twickenham Village community group have set up a Crowdfunding campaign, hoping to raise another £9,150 (12,400 euro) to complete the project.

The woman behind the project Helen Baker told the local newspaper ‘The Richmond and Twickenham Times’ that “This is a really exciting story".

"The factory brought as many as 6,000 Belgians to Richmond and they changed us so much, we were called the Belgian village on the Thames."

If enough funds are raised the memorials will be buildt outside what used to be the Pelabon Munitions Factory and is now Richmond Ice Rink.
 

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