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VE Day Celebrations

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Unfortunately due to the current situation, the planned VE Day street party celebrations on the 8th May have been cancelled, however that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate at home, here are just some ideas to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day whilst staying safe at home:

Make Bunting

Quintessentially British, bunting is the sign of a street party so why not make your own and paint, draw and decorate it in lots of red, white and blue. There are also plenty of printable bunting templates online with images all ready for colouring here or we at Mum's Guide To have our own template you can download here.

Decorate Your Home

Get crafty and decorate the whole window with posters and pictures. You can design your own or download some on the British Heritage website here. Herts Inclusive Theatre is also giving you the chance to win a free term of classes once activities start up again. Simply create something fabulous for VE Day and email your creations to [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #HITDoesVEDay. A winner will be chosen on 8 May.

Have a Picnic

The weather is looking bright so far so have a quintessentially British picnic in the garden, and if it’s raining, have an indoor picnic instead. You could even have afteroon tea instead!

Bake

Bake some traditional British recipes for your picnic such as a Victoria sponge, scones or a strawberry cheesecake. Or find some recipes from the 1940’s such as these Muscavado Flapjacks by Prue Leith.

Image via British Heritage

Phone an Elderly Relative

Some elderly relatives may remember the day itself so phone them and ask them to tell you all about it. The Dacorum Heritage Trust is encouraging people to use the hashtag #DacorumVEDay2020 online to share photos and stories of their families' contributions to the war effort. It will also be putting up a list of soldiers names on its website from local war memorials for whom they have little or no information and will be asking local people for information to help fill in the gaps. For further information, email [email protected]

Make a Paper Aeroplane

Make a paper aeroplane, decorate it and see how far you can fly it! You can even make a spitfire just like the WW2 pilots flew with this great Twinkl download here.

image via Twinkl

Listen To Some 1940’s Music

A party isn’t complete without music! The 1940’s was known for big band and jazz, some suggestions would be Glen Miller, Judy Garland, Dinah Shore and Frank Sinatra.

Dress Up

You could dress up as someone from 1945 such as a land girl, a factory worker or a pilot, or just a 1940's little girl or boy with a straw hat or flat cap. See this image from Reading Museum for some great suggestions!

Learn about VE Day in 1945

There’s lots of online resources to learn all about VE Day, in particular this one from The Royal British Legion for children aged 7 – 14 and lots on Twinkl too.

 

VE Day Schedule

The nation will still be coming together at various points throughout the day from their homes so be sure to join in...

11.00am – Two Minutes Silence. The BBC will hold a two minutes silence.

3.00pm – Doorstep Toast There will be a doorstep toast at 3pm, so get yourself a glass of something (or just a quintessential cup of tea!) and raise your glasses with your neighbours at 3pm. Dacorum Borough Council will also be flying a plane over the borough with it’s VE day banner so lookout for that too!

9.00pm – Queens Speech. The address is scheduled to take place at 9pm in the evening – the exact time her father, King George VI, made his radio address to the nation in 1945 to announce victory in Europe.

9.00pm – Singalong. The Royal British Legion invites the nation to join in a UK-wide rendition of Dame Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again at 9pm on VE Day. You can find the song words on the British Legion website here and the singalong will feature on the BBC as part of its VE Day broadcast.

 

#VEDay75

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