UK prepares to celebrate VE Day from home ahead of bank holiday weekend

Pictures show the UK preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day at home, as all public gatherings are cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While lockdown restrictions prohibit street parties and services, Britons have found other creative ways to remember the moment that Britain and its Allies formally accepted Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender after almost six years of war.

Some people have been spotted decorating the outside of their homes in red, white and blue bunting and flags, while others – including a dog called Wilson – were photographed already kitted out in Union Jack attire.

An impressive giant Union Jack flag, drawn by castle maintenance manager Andrew Heeley, was photographed on the beach beneath Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, on the north east coast of England.

Meanwhile, Breadsall Primary School in Derby threw a VE Day lunch party on Thursday, while a young boy named Alex Glover, 10, put the finishing touches to the VE Day theme in his home in Sittingbourne, Kent.

While celebrations had to be adapted this year, the UK will still remember and thank all those who fought for our freedom in a two-minute silence at 11am on Friday.

Every person across the country is welcomed to join celebrations by watching television, listening to the radio and going online.

The Royal British Legion is inviting everyone to grab a cup of tea and join them for an 80-minute stream, in which young and old will chat about their shared experiences, at 11.15am tomorrow.

Meanwhile, BBC1 will share extracts of Sir Winston Churchill’s famous victory speech in which he announced the end of the war in Europe at 2.45pm.

This is followed by an event at 2.55pm, which invites musicians around the country to play the Last Post from their homes.

At 3pm, people across the country will take to their doorsteps to raise a glass, cheer and clap for the VE Day war heroes.

Dame Joan Collins, whose childhood home was destroyed in the Blitz as she slept in a Tube station, is set to lead the Nation’s Toast to the Heroes from the balcony of her London flat.

In the evening, singer Katherine Jenkins will appear on BBC1, along with actor Adrian Lester and singer Beverley Knight, with the show ending with a sing-along of wartime classic We’ll Meet Again by Vera Lynn. 

At 9pm, the Queen will address the nation in a special television message to mark the important occasion.

It will be broadcast at the same time that her father, King George VI, gave his radio address 75 years ago.

Finally, at 9.30pm, spotlights will light up the sky in Portsmouth to recreate the experience of blackouts during the war.

If you need inspiration on how to throw your own VE Day Stay At Home Street Party, the government has created up a website providing a full toolkit of resources at ve-vjday75.gov.uk.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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