Beverley to commemorate 80th anniversary of VE Day

Beverley Town Council will host a community event in Coronation Gardens on Thursday 8th May to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

Events will start at 6pm with the VE Day 80 Proclamation, followed by a prayer and words of thanksgiving.
A beacon, which was purchased for the late Queen’s jubilee, will be lit and the public will be asked to turn on tealights, with the official VE Day Words of Celebration recited.

This will be followed by a rendition of I Vow to Thee, My Country, accompanied by a local band or choir.
A programme with lyrics will be handed out to those who are gathered.

Members of the public will be given an electronic tealight as they enter the gardens.

These represent the lamplights of peace and will also be keepsake, as each candle will be branded with the Beverley VE VJ Day 80 emblem.

Although commemorations are taking place nationally at 9:30pm, Beverley Town Council wants its event to be accessible to all and family friendly.Therefore, it will be held at 6pm and repeated at 9:30pm.
At 6:30pm, a national church bell ring, with Beverley Minster and St Mary’s Church taking part.

Members of the public, families and friends are encouraged to take along a picnic to Coronation Gardens and enjoy the May evening with good company and community spirit.

Between 7pm and 9:30pm, local choirs and music groups will perform, including the Beverley Church Lads and Girls Brigade, Beverley Male Voice Choir and She Productions.

The evening will conclude with a repeat of the 6pm ceremony at 9:30pm.

VE Day 80 commemorative flags will be given to local churches to fly and Beverley Town Council will be displaying union flags throughout the town centre from early May to late August to encompass VE Day and VJ Day.

Other events are likely to include an official wreath laying in Hengate Memorial Gardens.

“The 80th anniversaries of both VE and VJ Day give us cause to reflect on how different our lives today could have been if they not been achieved,” said Councillor David Boynton, the mayor of Beverley.

“The commemorative events being organised by the town council and others reflect the feelings of the wider Beverley community, that whilst we can celebrate these historic victories over tyranny, we must also pay our respects to those who gave so much, many of whom never returned home to experience the peace they had been fighting for.

“It’s important we remember them and give thanks for the freedom and liberty we have in this country today.”
If you or your organisation is planning an event to commemorate the 80th anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day, visit www.beverley.gov.uk/contact to inform the Town Council.