Work refurbishing a north Norfolk war memorial which has now been completed was marked with a special re-dedication ceremony.

In March this year a campaign was launched to help raise �5,000 to refurbish Holt war memorial, by Holt Town Council, which is responsible for the memorial, and the Holt Branch of The Royal British Legion.

Although there were no structural issues with the memorial, a 20ft high spire sitting on a square plinth which was installed in 1920 in Holt Market Place, it needed to be cleaned and repaired after developing a build up of dirt and algae, and showing significant weathering over two of the carved letter panels.

Money has been raised with a number of fundraising events and donations, including a �2,470 grant from the War Memorial Trust.

Holt Town councillor Andy Turner and riding companions Bryan 'Ozzie' Owen and Micky Smith also took part in a cycle ride between war memorial around Holt and the surrounding villages in May, and raised �1,100 for the refurbishment with their efforts.

Fundraising has also come from other local groups including the Brownies and Guides, who held a sponsored silence at the memorial.

Mr Turner said: 'I think it shows a great mark of respect for the people whose names are on the memorial that we have been able to raise the money so quickly. It shows the respect the town has.'

The hard work meant nearly �9,000 was raised in total, and refurbishment work was carried out during August and September.

To mark the re-dedication, which took place on Sunday, the Holt Branch of the Royal British Legion marched from 'Blind Sam', the lantern part of the Queen Victoria 1887 Jubilee Column which was moved to Obelisk Plain to make room for the memorial, to the war memorial, accompanied by The Cromer and Sheringham Band.

Colin Kemp, chairman of the Holt branch of the Royal British Legion, said: 'We got involved because we wanted to see the war memorial and the names of those people on it preserved.

'The memorial has been cleaned up and some pieces of stone have been replaced, it now looks as it did when it was first built.

'We hope that other towns may follow suit as there are a lot of war memorials in need of care and attention.'

A service for the re-dedication was lead by Father Howard Stoker from Saint Andrews Church in Holt. The Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, Richard Jewson, was also in attendance, as a representative of the Queen and following the service, invited guests had tea in the parish hall.

The memorial, which is made of Clipsham stone, is engraved with four crests detailing dates of wars, the names of 63 men who died in the first world war, 32 men who died in the second world war as well as soldiers who died in Korea in 1952 and in Northern Ireland in 1991.