VE Day 75th anniversary
On Friday 8th May, Britain will be commemorating the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Find out how you can celebrate at home an read some inspirational stories from our residents.
Join us to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day at home
There are many ways you can celebrate the 75th anniversary whilst staying at home. We've listed a few of them below.
1. BBC's Great British Bunting
The BBC have created all the materials you need to make your own special VE Day 75 ‘Great British Bunting’ to display in your window at home.
Download all the instructions you need to get started using any paper, cereal boxes, string, ribbon, sweet wrappers, felt pens, poster paint you have or whatever you can find.
You can decorate your bunting with pictures of whatever inspires you: perhaps it’s those who fought on the frontline or worked hard on the home front, or maybe you'f like to choose a celebration of enduring peace or your own personal hero.
Hang your bunting with pride over the weekend of Friday 8 May - Sunday 10 May and make sure you share your pictures with us and on social media using the hashtags #Abbeyfield, #GreatBritishBunting, #VEDay75 and #BBCMakeaDifference.
Bunting Instructions
There's nothing that brightens up a room like bunting!
Bunting Template
Now you know how to create your bunting, download the template to decorate and show your VE day pride!
Bunting 'How to' Guide
Time to string together all of your beautiful bunting flags and display them inside your home or in your garden.
2. Two minute silence
At 11am, there will be a two minute silence across all the nation spanning generations and communities. This is being held to honour the service and sacrifice of the Second World War generation, and reflect on the impact the current pandemic has had on us all.
At Abbeyfield, we will be standing in silence for these two minutes, in remembrance and honour. We invite you to join us on your doorstep.
3. Stay at home party
- Watch the VE Day 75 livestream by The Royal British Legion at 11:15am on their website or Facebook.
- Churchill speech shown on BBC One at 2:45pm.
- Enjoy an indoor or outdoor picnic with tea and scones (or whatever you have to hand) at 4pm.
- At 6pm after dinner, raise your glass to your neighbours.
- An evening of memories and music in partnership with the BBC from 8pm on BBC One.
- A UK-wide singalong to Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again at 9pm.
Download your Abbeyfield TV Guide here.
4. VE Day 75 Party Heritage Pack
This pack will help you put together your own celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day. The pack includes recipes for tasty 1940s dishes to serve on the day, VE Day poster to display in celebration, lyrics to popular 1940s songs and tips for dancing the Lindy hop swing.
5. VE Day in pictures
Take a walk through this historical day via a collection of photographs collected by English Heritage.
"These images were taken on VE Day and capture the jubilation of a country. They reveal the unimaginable joy at learning the war in Europe was over and herald the start of a new chapter for victorious England."
Inspirational resident stories
Peter, Joyce and Sandy have truly amazing stories to tell.
The official VE Day 75 book
Abbeyfield is proud to be a selected organisation to be featured in SSAFA, The Armed Forces Charity official VE Day 75 commemorative book.
Our founder Richard Carr-Gomm OBE, served in the army himself during the Second World War, alongside some of our own residents.
Carr-Gomm’s desire “to give residents a home in which to make friends, eat together, take part in activities and generally continue to enjoy a sense of community” still informs the ethos of all our houses today, as well as our vision for the future both at home and abroad.
The book includes the stories of VE Day in the UK and around the world alongside a fantastic array of photographs. You can order your free copy here (while stocks last, plus £9.99 P&P).