NMA

The National Memorial Arboretum was founded in 1997 and covers an area in excess of 150 acres. It consists of trees and memorials all devoted to nma_logo the act of remembrance. The Arboretum is located in the New National Forest Staffordshire, at Alrewas, between Lichfield and Burton-upon-Trent. The grounds were former sand and gravel quarries and were restored to their original grassland state by the quarry company, Lafarge-Aggregates, when they'd finished quarrying activity. They then gifted the land for use by the Memorial Arboretum Charity, charging only a peppercorn rent.

The origins of the NMA can be traced back to a visit to Arlington Cemetery and the National Arboretum in Washington, DC, in 1988 by the Director, David Childs. He had the idea that such concepts could be introduced to Great Britain and provide a meaningful memorial to those who have served the United Kingdom since 1945.

The then Prime Minister John Major launched the appeal to create the Arboretum in November 1994. At that stage there was neither land nor money for the project but this quickly changed when Redland Aggregates (now Lafarge) generously gifted 82 acres of reclaimed gravel working alongside the banks of the River Tame. This generous gift has now been extended to a further 70 acres which includes the wildlife lake.

The project was supported by the armed services and veterans‘associations but the first planting, in the spring of 1997, was funded by a grant from The National Forest, within whose boundary The Arboretum lies. The initiative was then shortlisted for a Millennium Commission grant of £1.8M, provided such a sum could be match funded. It was, and the result is the Visitor Centre and the country‘s only Millennium Chapel.

One of the first groups to seek involvement was the Police when the idea of the Arboretum was brought to the attention of the Police Mutual Assurance Society whose Head Office at Lichfield is just five miles from the Arboretum. Deliberations lead to the idea of planting a 300 metre long Avenue with eight different types of chestnut trees. The first police truncheons were made from wood from chestnut trees. There is now an avenue of young chestnut trees called The Beat, and some of the trees have been grown from conkers collected from Drayton Manor in Tamworth, Staffordshire, which was the former home of Sir Robert Peel, founder of the modern-day police service. It was officially opened on Monday 8th September 1997 by the then Home Secretary Jack Straw in the company of representatives of every police force in the country. Three days after the Home Secretary's visit, the Millennium Commission announced they were awarding the whole Arboretum project the grant for its development.

Approximately 50,000 trees have been planted so far and there are already 130 memorials of national significance. Throughout the planted area, there are some 385 special sites which have been designated by the provision of a plaque, bench or symbol appropriate to the donor group.

The design has been carefully created to provide an area of peace so that visitors could have an area for peaceful contemplation whilst providing a living and growing environment for an assortment of trees and local wildlife. Loved ones, family members, friends and comrades can remember their fallen comrades in a tranquil setting. The NMA was built in central England to provide easier access to families and visitors throughout Britain and the UK.

The Arboretum was officially opened by HRH The Duchess of Kent on the 16 May 2001 and dedicated on 11th June 2002. It was designed to take 60,000 visitors a year but it now has more than 300,000 particularly since the dedication of the Armed Forces Memorial in 2007. The Arboretum has struggled to provide the amenities to support those who have lost their relatives and friends and desperately needs more parking, increased catering facilities and covered space for when the weather is inclement.

Prince William at the NMA , April 2009 The Future Foundations Appeal has now been established to generate funding for expansion of the NMA's infrastructure and enable it to become a world-renowned centre for Remembrance. It was launched on Friday 24 April 2009 by HRH Prince William during his visit to the NMA. The Prince agreed to be patron of the appeal.
The £8 million Appeal will fund the building of a Veterans Pavilion to provide a venue for functions, events and acts of remembrance for the 200 military units, ex-Service groups and other interested parties to meet. It will also enable the Arboretum to expand its work to educate children nationwide in history, the environment and citizenship.