Cllr John Cowell has been campaigning for the refurbishment of Aveley War Memorial and the project now looks set to go ahead quickly.
He said: “When we first drew up plans to honour Nicky Mason of the Parachute Regiment, who was killed in Afghanistan last September and our other fallen Aveley heroes from the Second World War by adding their names to our village war memorial the cost was £22,000.
“I started the appeal in January with a donation of £100 and my wife Susan donated £250 from a Jack Petchey Award she had received and I asked local people and organisations to help fund the project.
“I would like to thank the Aveley and Kenningtons Community Forums who have donated £2,000 each.”
He added: “I have been overwhelmed at the generosity of our residents and local businesses who have come forward to with the costs covering them by individual donations and with firms and residents offering their time and resources for free, or at cost, reducing the price to £5,000.
