Staffordshire memorial holds special place in nation's hearts
Staffordshire's National Memorial Arboretum has topped a public vote of the favourite places funded by the National Lottery over the last 20 years.
The poll attracted more than 66,000 votes on Facebook. The Arboretum came in ahead of the Eden Project in Cornwall, which was second, and The Beamish Museum in County Durham, third.
People were asked to choose their favourite from a range of iconic venues and landmarks and facilities that have benefited from Lottery funding.
The Arboretum at Alrewas, near Lichfield, which has more than 300 memorials, including the striking Armed Forces Memorial, has received £8 million in Lottery funding.
Sarah Montgomery, the Arboretum's managing director, said: "We're truly honoured that the public has chosen us as their favourite place. "
The news comes as organisers celebrated the 20th anniversary this week of the first National Lottery draw on November 19, 1994. Since then players have raised more than £32 billion for more than 430,000 projects across the UK. A further £53 billion has been paid out in prizes and more than 3,600 millionaires created so far.
