World War Two bomber memorial centre gets £700,000 grant

The International Bomber Command Centre will feature an exhibition and memorial walls

A centre dedicated to the memory of those who served in Bomber Command during World War Two has been given a £700,000 grant.

The money has been donated by a fund that distributes cash raised by the landfill tax credits scheme.

The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) near Lincoln will feature an exhibition and memorials to the 55,000 RAF personnel who died in the war.

IBCC director Nicky Barr described the grant as a "fantastic boost".

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"It gives us surety that we can get the rest of the memorial walls up in good time," he said.

"It also gives us some support to making sure the exhibition is the absolute best that it can be."

The centre has raised more than £10.5m towards its construction costs. Mr Barr said it needed to raise another £1m ahead of its opening in December.

Bomber Command crews were tasked with attacking Germany's airbases, troops, shipping and industrial complexes connected to the war effort.

The contribution of men and women from more than 60 nations will be featured, according to the centre.

Lincoln was chosen for the site as it provides a central point for 27 bomber bases that were in Lincolnshire.

The county housed about a third of all World War Two Bomber Command stations.

More than 55,000 members of Bomber Command were killed during World War Two