How will you be celebrating VE Day?
Caring Homes’ homes across the country have been busy preparing for this weekend’s celebrations of the 75th anniversary of VE day, with activities such as making colourful bunting to decorate the home at East Hill House, pictured here.
Celebrations will be taking place in gardens, on doorsteps and in living rooms, rather than the street parties and parades envisaged before the Covid-19 pandemic. There is plenty taking place which colleagues and residents can share, with the Queen speaking to the nation on a day of thanksgiving culminating in a national singalong of We’ll Meet Again.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said this week, “I know the nation will come together to mark this historic occasion.
“In these difficult times, acts of remembrance are even more poignant and I am sure that millions will want to join me to remember and give thanks to those who gave so much to secure peace, freedom and prosperity in Europe.”
Official commemorations will begin at 11am on Friday with a national moment of remembrance and two minutes’ silence. Winston Churchill’s address to the nation announcing Germany’s surrender will be broadcast on the BBC at 2.45pm and there is a Toast to the Heroes of WW2 at 3pm when people, from the safety of their own homes, can stand and raise a glass.
The Queen’s pre-recorded message will be broadcast at 9pm the same hour as her father, King George VI, made his radio address marking victory in Europe.
Seventy-five years on, Prince Charles will read an extract from a diary entry by his grandfather describing the day’s events, including the royal family’s Buckingham Palace balcony appearances. Later that day the then Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret, danced unnoticed among the crowds on London’s streets, in what the Queen later described as one of the best nights of her life.
The Queen’s message will be followed by the national singalong of We’ll Meet Again, made famous by Dame Vera Lynn, now 103. Katherine Jenkins will be performing the number in a virtual duet with Dame Vera from the Royal Albert Hall. Will you be singing along?
Have a great weekend and please send your VE Day celebration stories and pictures to [email protected] and share them on your Facebook pages.
