Fife friends honoured for voluntary work to record and clean war heroes’ graves

Malcolm Hodgson and David Mowatt both received the prestigious Spotlight award from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) for their volunteering efforts. They also received a letter from CWGC director general Claire Horton, congratulating them on their achievement.

The pair, who are both RAF veterans, work alongside Eyes On, Hands On Volunteers to care for graves across 20 cemeteries around Fife.

They take photos to document the graves’ condition and hand clean them if required. The images they have taken will soon be uploaded to the CWGC website. This will allow people from across the globe to research and see a grave if they can’t visit.

David said that the award allowed him to feel like the work they were undertaking was appreciated.

He said: “It was great to win a Spotlight Award, it makes me feel that the work I do is important and appreciated. I enjoy volunteering because I know I am helping to keep the memories of the fallen alive and the exercise is good for my health and mental wellbeing!”

Malcolm and David supported War Graves Week during May. The week of events is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the graves and memorials of Commonwealth service personnel around the world. Despite their dedication, Malcolm was taken aback to receive the award.

He explained: “I was very surprised to be nominated and then go on to win a Spotlight Award, I know there are many volunteers around the UK that do what I do so I feel very honoured to know the tasks we carry out are appreciated.”

The work of the volunteers was praised by Ms Horton. She said she hopes the celebration will entice others to follow in the award winners footsteps and volunteer.

She said: “I am delighted to share the news of our Volunteer special recognition, Spotlight Awards, in Volunteers’ Week, which is a time to both celebrate the outstanding contribution of our volunteers, and to showcase their work to inspire others who might be thinking of volunteering”.