A BASILDON community group is hoping to encourage support for a repair project at a memorial to the fallen in Flanders.

The Basildon Town Twinning group, key supporters of the town's Forget Never project, have close links with the Lochnagar Crater at the heart of the Somme battlefields in France. Basildon's "Empty Chair" memorial is in situ at the crater which was formed when a huge mine was exploded to mark the start of the battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916.

The spectator walkway around the crater is in need of serious repair and the Basildon group has formed a fundraising page to help. It can be accessed via this link.

You can find out more about the crater via the Lochnagar Crater Foundation's website here.