We hope you're well and staying safe. With all planned VE day celebrations forced to turn digital, here is a selection of some of the ways you can honour the 75th anniversary of this momentous day on Friday 8th May.
At 11am join the nation for a two-minute silence to honour the service and sacrifice of the Second World War generation.
Also during the morning, The Royal British Legion will be hosting a 45-minute live stream to bring together the Second World War generation with today’s generation to chat about their shared experiences. Stories and memories will be shared from those who served and sacrificed during the Second World War, as well as recognising the difficulties people are experiencing today. The chat will run from 11:15am and you can join in by visiting the British Legion website.
The Nations Toast – join the nation's toast for the Heroes of WWII by raising a cuppa at 3pm and toasting..."To those who gave so much, we thank you.” For some recipe ideas to bake an afternoon treat, click here Decorate – make your own bunting or posters to decorate your windows, gardens, kitchens, wherever you fancy. The County and City Councils have templates and resources available to download and print. If you’re looking for something ready-decorated, click here for Union Jack bunting. If you've got a few more materials to hand, the Inspire library service are sharing tips for how to make family treasure bunting and paper rosettes. Instructions and templates.
Musical cheer – If you have a Spotify account, the HM Government have put together a playlist for you to listen to at home. Available to listen and download here.
Warm up those vocal chords and sing with jubilancy to some of the well-known war time classics, download a song sheet including the songs… We’ll meet again, Roll out the barrel, Lily of Lagunana, Lili Marlene and The White Cliffs of Dover The BBC will also be hosting a singalong on BBC One at 9pm with a UK-Wide rendition of Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’.
Quiz yourself - Test your knowledge and learn something new with The County Council's war themed quizzes:
Quiz Three - Ministry of food ration book (Download)
Visit their dedicated page and look out for the answers which they'll be uploading later this week by clicking here
Share a Message - Add your words of thanks to The British Legion VE Day message board and view online here.
Voices of War – On Friday The Imperial War Museum will be launching an online exhibition of art, music and poetry that has been commissioned to mark the 75th Anniversary of VE Day,
The focal point of which will be Voices of War: a four-minute soundscape featuring first-hand accounts of VE Day selected from Imperial War Museum's vast sound archive.
As part of the wider Voices of War exhibition, Contemporary Artists were asked to contribute to a collection of artworks in response to the end of the Second World War and its resonance today. Among the completed work will be spoken word performances to music and poetry, questioning our understanding of what victory means and reinterpreting these pivotal moments in our history for contemporary audiences.
Visit the exhibition here
Read how some of the Artists approached this task in an article written by the Guardian here.