Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge Town Council is organising a special home-based activity to mark the 75th Anniversary of VE Day today (Friday, May 8th) which will also celebrate the community efforts of local volunteers and frontline workers during the Coronavirus pandemic.
With the country in lockdown, the decision was made to change the plans for VE Day, cancelling several large outdoor events planned in Burnham and Highbridge.
The Town Council says it still wants to mark this special day and to thank everyone in the community who is helping to support those in need during the pandemic.
Today at 3pm the Town Council and Sedgemoor FM and invite residents to tune into 104.2FM for a trip down memory lane. To unite the community in verse, the words to several familiar songs have been published here on Burnham-On-Sea.com, in Local Reach and on the Town Council website.
“The Town Council and Sedgemoor FM hope that you will listen to the radio, whether you are at home, exercising or working, and join us in a community sing-a-long as we try to bring a smile to the faces of Burnham and Highbridge,” says a spokesman.
“Stand on your doorsteps alongside your neighbours and ‘Sing for Victory’, ensuring we follow the current Government guidelines.”
What is VE day?
Victory in Europe (VE) Day on 8th May 1945 saw Britain and its Allies formally accept Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender after almost six years of war.
At 3pm, Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced on the radio that the war in Europe had come to an end, following Germany’s surrender the day before.
Spontaneous celebrations broke out across the country and the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, and her sister Princess Margaret, ventured out with a group of friends to experience the excitement in London.
National VE day events
Various national events are going ahead today, including:
- 10:50 BST – at a service in Westminster, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will lay a wreath on behalf of the Commons. Lord West will lay a wreath on behalf of the Lords
- 11:00 – a national moment of remembrance and a two-minute silence will be held
- 14:55 – solo buglers, trumpeters and cornet players will be invited to play the Last Post from their homes
- 15:00 – as Churchill’s speech is broadcast, people will be invited to stand up and raise a glass in a national toast, saying: “To those who gave so much, we thank you”
- 20:00 – Â a BBC One special will feature Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins, actor Adrian Lester and singer Beverley Knight, who will be performing some well-known songs from the 1930s and 40s. The programme will culminate in the nation being invited to sing along to a rendition of wartime classic We’ll Meet Again
- 21:00 – the Queen’s pre-recorded address will be broadcast on BBC One at the exact moment her father, King George VI, gave a radio address 75 years ago. It will be her second televised message during the coronavirus outbreak.
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