YOUR readers may be interested to know that the Government's Grant-in-Aid scheme for war widows who wish to visit their husband's grave overseas, which was due to end next March, will now run for a further two years.

The Government extended Grant-in-Aid following a request from The Royal British Legion which, having exclusively run the scheme for 15 years, believes there are many war widows who have yet to apply.

Grant-in-Aid enables war widows to make a pilgrimage once for an eighth of the cost. Created after the Legion made the Government aware of how expensive it could be to make such pilgrimages, the Legion's Remembrance Travel department has already made it possible for more than 4,000 widows to visit cemeteries in some 40 countries.

The Legion will continue to ensure that those widows visiting a grave for the first time are given priority so that the maximum number can benefit from the Government subsidy.

Anyone else may also apply to go on a pilgrimage but will be asked to pay the full amount. If any of your readers would like to find out more, they can contact Remembrance Travel at The Royal British Legion, Aylesford, Kent ME20 7NX, tel 01622 716 729/716 182.

Piers Storie-Pugh,

Head of Remembrance Travel,

The Royal British Legion.