V E Day Celebrations

This Friday, 8 May, marks the 75^th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, celebrating the German surrender and an end to nearly six years of war in Europe that had cost the lives of millions; had destroyed homes, families, and cities; and had brought huge suffering and hardships to the populations of entire countries.

To celebrate this highly significant anniversary we have put together a programme of events and activities online at https://www.ashford.gov.uk/your-community/history-and-heritage/ve-day/.  Please could you share the link with your contacts.

Residents are encouraged to hold their own ‘Stay at Home’ Street Party over the weekend and perhaps decorate their houses and windows with red, white and blue bunting.  We offer advice and guidance on the ABC website.

We are encouraging residents to take photos of their celebrations and to upload to social media with the hashtag #AshfordVEDay75 – it would be great to see photos of your celebrations too!

Before the outbreak of coronavirus, we asked people to submit their photos for an Ashford in the Second World War photographic exhibition. This is being turned into an online project, which will be available to view on our website soon.

There are a number of activities planned for 8 May as part of the national programme including the Nation’s Toast to the heroes of WWII at 3pm. There are also a range of other online events you can enjoy to help you celebrate the weekend.  Again, this can all be found on the ABC website.

The BBC will be running a special broadcast. This will include a televised address from the Queen at 9pm on Friday 8 May, and sections of Winston Churchill’s victory speech will be shown at 3pm.

We also have an array of fun activities for people of all ages including World War Two recipes and lots more to celebrate VE Day in style.