NEWPORT Rugby Club is starting a project to renovate the memorial gates outside the stadium at Rodney Parade with the aid of a supporters' trust.

The gates, erected in 1923 and dedicated to members of Newport Athletic Club who gave their lives in the First World War, are rusting and in a "sorry state of repair", according to the Friends of Newport Rugby Trust.

Graham Sully, history officer at the trust, said: "Work needs to be done now before they go into a worse state of disrepair.

"The gates are very important as a reminder of the members of the athletic club, including rugby players, who went to war and didn't come back."

Mike Dams, another history officer at the trust, said they would be happy to pay for the project.

He said the aim was to have the work done by Armistice Day 2006, with a special rededication service by a member of the clergy to take place on that day.

Gethin Jenkins, commercial director of Newport Rugby Club, said: "We are currently looking into how much that would cost, and at that point we would go back to the trust to find out what opportunities may exist."