More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Plans to pay tribute to commemorate Dame Vera Lynn at the White Cliffs of Dover have moved closer to becoming a reality.
A proposal to name a section of public footpath leading to the top of the iconic cliffs which were the subject of her 1942 song was given a thumbs up by Dover District Council Leader Trevor Bartlett.
He said whilst his council had not yet developed any concrete plans to mark the life of the singer - who was born in East Ham in 1917 - he liked the idea of naming the footpath from Athol Terrace at the Eastern Docks after the Dame.
He said: "Before committing to any proposal I would obviously have to engage with her family to discuss ideas with them and hear their views as to how they might wish to see her association with Dover commemorated and this is something I will do."
Independent town councillor Graham Wanstall, who made the proposal, said he agrees this should be done in consultation with the singer's daughter.
He told Kentonline today he hopes this can be done in time for the first anniversary of Dame Vera's death in June.
No costing has been calculated but Cllr Wanstall believes it will be in the region of £1,500-£2,000 with two to three street name plates needed and the same number of signs directing visitors to the footpath.
The path is part of the Saxon Shore Way and he believes the Vera Lynn Way signs can be added to existing lamp posts that advertise the walking route.
He added that he hopes the idea appeals to the Dame's family.
"I've spoken several times on a radio station in Sussex because that's where she lived for many years.
"There's been quite a lot of feedback and the feedback I've had has been very positive."
Cllr Wanstall said this week that he wants Vera Lynn Way to be a first step towards getting a permanent memorial in gratitude of what she did for the town and country during the Second World War.
Logically he thinks this should be on the cliffs she became so closely associated with until her death, aged 103.
A life-size silhouette of Dame Vera Lynn is already installed as part of the Portrait Bench on Dover Seafront.
It is one of three, made of prominent people with links to Dover. The other two are James Bond novelist Ian Fleming and Dover born lad Jamie Clarke, who carried the Olympic flame through the town in 2012.
