A COTSWOLD village is being smartened up in time for this year’s First World War commemorations.

Army reserves from the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars visited Poulton last week to give the railings around the town’s war memorial a fresh coat of paint.

The village is preparing for a special commemoration event this August and will even be welcoming Lord Lieutenant for Gloucestershire Dame Janet Trotter to the celebrations.

Poulton resident and former serviceman Mike Wood organised the reserves, from Cirencester’s Somerford Road barracks, to help paint the fence over two days last week.

Trooper H and Corporal Jacko volunteered to spend two days in the hot sun stripping down the old, tired-looking railings and brightening them up with fresh paint, provided free of charge by Travis Perkins in Cirencester.

“It’s been a long time since the railings have been repainted and it seemed an ideal opportunity, being the 100th anniversary of the First World War, to have them done,” said Mike.

“It’s an honour to have Dame Janet Trotter coming to our event as well. I told her how important it is to us and she’s been absolutely delightful.”

Back in October last year, 15 different Poulton families and residents were given a name of a man from the war memorial and the task to research him so a book could be made.

Proceeds from selling the book, which describes the lives of each fallen serviceman, have gone towards the village’s war memorial restoration project.

“The whole village has done so much for this,” added Mike.

In August, the newly resorted war memorial will be the focus of the day’s commemorations.

A group of 14 young people, all at the age where they could have signed up for the war 100 years ago, will be holding handmade flags made in tribute to the young men who died.