SECOND World War veterans are signing up for a multi-million pound Lottery-funded scheme to revisit the battlefields where they saw active service.

The Heroes Return funding programme is being rolled out by the New Opportunities Fund, the Lottery good cause distributor, in partnership with the veterans organisation COBSEO (Confederation of British Service and Ex-Service Organisations).

The scheme will also provide Lottery funding for veterans' spouses and carers to accompany them to countries where they served such as France, North Africa or the Far East at any time in 2004 and 2005.

The Fund will help veterans to record their experiences on these visits so that new generations can learn from them. War widows and widowers

will also be eligible for remembrance visits funding.

World War II veterans on Tuesday went into the Cabinet War Rooms in London for the launch of the scheme -- in the same bunker where 60 years ago Churchill oversaw the deployment of Allied forces, which finally led to victory and peace.

Leigh MP Andy Burnham believes the scheme deserves lottery support.

He said: "Heroes Return is a welcome scheme and acknowledges in a small way the debt we all owe to our war veterans.

"I intend to work closely with our local British Legion branches to ensure that people in our area get the chance to benefit from it. I also hope it will give people confidence that National Lottery funding is being well spent on deserving causes."