Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, has encouraged constituents to celebrate from home the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe on Friday 8th May. Planned public celebrations across Wealden will no longer be possible with social distancing, but opportunities to celebrate from home are planned for the whole day.
The Government has announced a revised programme to celebrate VE Day which will include: a two-minutes silence at 11.00am; a moment of reflection and prayer led by the Archbishop of Canterbury; the broadcasting of extracts of Sir Winston Churchill’s VE Day speech, followed by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales reading an extract from his grandfather King George VI’s diary from 8th May 1945; and, finally, Her Majesty The Queen will address the nation. The Prime Minister, members of the Royal Family and the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will also take part in video calls with Second World War veterans and those who served on the Home Front.
Nusrat Ghani said “I was due to be in Hailsham for their VE Day celebrations on Friday and I am gutted not to be able to do so, but I hope as many Wealden residents as possible will join in the celebrations from home. People can do this by observing the two minutes’ silence at 11am on the 8th May, watch the BBC VE Day 75 special broadcasts or take part in the national singalong of Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ where the public are encouraged to open their doors and join in safely. Perhaps you might like to get creative and make bunting or posters using the toolkit at the following link https://ve-vjday75.gov.uk/ for a 1940s style tea party, or research your family history using www.ancestry.co.uk who will be making their resources available for free between the 4th and 10th May. Historian Dan Snow will also be hosting history lessons on different aspects of the Second World War for children live on his History Hit YouTube channel from Monday 4th May. For information on all of the ways to get involved in the VE Day celebrations and more, please visit https://ve-vjday75.gov.uk/get-involved/.”
