At St Francis de Sales, we want to host an online Twitter V.E. Day celebration on Friday 8th May - it's a chance for us to get together as a community  and we would really like our pupils to join in - why not make some bunting, or learn to jitterbug? Please get on board and send photographs of any celebrations to our Twitter feed  https://twitter.com/notifications

 

Please find links to some V.E. day resources below.

What is V.E. day?

 

 

Victory in Europe (VE) Day on 8 May 1945 saw Britain and its Allies formally accept Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender after almost six years of war.

 

At 15:00, 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.

 

Which national events are still going ahead?

 

The government had moved the traditional Early May Bank Holiday from 4 May to 8 May this year to allow for a range of celebrations across the UK, including a veterans' procession and street parties. But social distancing measures mean those have been called off.

 

However, various events are still going ahead, 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
• 14:45 - in a special programme on BBC One, extracts from Churchill's victory speech to the nation announcing the end of the war in Europe will be broadcast
• 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 - another 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 after a rare speech to the nation last month
• 21:30 - Spotlights will light up the sky in Portsmouth to recall the experience of blackouts during the war. The local council says the lights are also to remind people "that lighter times will come again"

You can read about the BBC's TV, radio and online coverage of VE Day here.