TWO village churches have joined forces to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

Matching pairs of memorial plaques have been installed in St Mary Magdalene Church and St William’s Roman Catholic Church in Trimdon Village, County Durham.

One plaque commemorates local men who lost their lives in the 1914-18 conflict; the other pays tribute to all servicemen and women killed in active service from then until the present day.

Made from brass, the plaques complement memorials installed in the 1970s to honour the fallen of the Second World War, which have been refurbished as part of the project.

A Book of Remembrance has also been created listing all 269 men from the Trimdons and Deaf Hill who died while serving their country.

Adam Luke, 19, from Trimdon Village, led the project, which has brought together schools, community groups and members of the Royal British Legion.

“We felt that the 198 young men from the Trimdons should be commemorated during the centenary and these new memorials form the centre piece of that," said Mr Luke, who is studying in Oxford.

“Many people have been and viewed the book of remembrance and seen the plaques and we have had a very positive response.”