What's on: Commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day from your home

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VE Day header

Commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day from your home

On Friday 8 May 2020 Britain will be commemorating the 75th anniversary of VE Day when the guns fell silent at the end of war in Europe.

Due to the coronavirus restrictions the planned VE Day 75 events in Horsham District have had to be cancelled or postponed, but we are still encouraging you to mark the occasion, share your pride in our country and honour the men and women of WW2 from the safety of your homes.

Find out more about VE Day 75 and how you can celebrate from your home.

Churchill's speech and Nation’s Toast

At 2.45pm on 8 May, BBC One will broadcast Sir Winston Churchill’s famous victory speech in which he addressed the nation to announce the end of the war in Europe.

Join communities across the country for the ‘Nation’s Toast to the Heroes of WW2’ at 3pm, from the safety of your own homes by standing up, raising a glass and saying ‘Toast’ – “To those who gave so much, we thank you.”

VE Day from home square

Join the Horsham community online

Join the Horsham community online to celebrate and commemorate VE Day 75 on Friday 8 May.

The day has been announced as a Bank Holiday in celebration and as we cannot celebrate in person, we've moved our events online so we can still come together virtually.

Horsham District Council, in partnership with QM Studios, Visit Horsham and many community partners will be running a programme of celebratory events on the Horsham Facebook page and the Horsham Time Well Spent Facebook page.

Please follow the pages where you'll find details of all the events taking place online. See you on Friday!

Follow Horsham time Well Spent

Follow Visit Horsham

Heritage England party pack

Plan your VE Day 75 stay at home party

Download the brilliant party pack from Heritage England to help you prepare your VE Day celebrations and commemorations at home while you #StayHomeSaveLives.

It includes a rationed menu for tasty 1940s dishes, tips for dancing the Lindy hop and a Spotify playlist of classic 1940s songs for you to sing and dance along to.

Home party pack

Afternoon tea and cake lovers

Afternoon Tea Trail competition

There's something rather fabulous about an Afternoon Tea so we're giving you the opportunity to win not one, but two! Join us on the Horsham Time Well Spent Facebook page this week for our Afternoon Tea Online Trail. 

All you need to do is find the answers to our seven questions online about local businesses providing afternoon tea and cakes. Pop the answers into our online answer sheet in our Facebook post and you could win...

  • An afternoon tea voucher for two people to enjoy full afternoon tea at the award-winning Steyning Tearooms valid from when they re-open until November 2020.
  • A takeaway afternoon tea delivery voucher for two, delivered to your home in the Horsham District, from Christina's Afternoon Tea Room and Gift Shop in Henfield.

You have until Thursday 7 April to complete the Trail so head over to Facebook now and join in.

Enter the competition

Winston Churchill giving a speech to end the war in Europe

Join the BBC for a day of dedicated programming

The BBC will be showing a dedicated programming across television, radio and BBC iPlayer throughout the day.

At the heart of the commemorations will be a special address from Her Majesty The Queen broadcast at 9pm - the exact time her father spoke to the nation three quarters of a century ago.

View the schedule for the day

Make your own bunting BBC

Make some Great British Bunting

You can make your own special VE Day 75 ‘Great British Bunting’ to display in your window at home.

Visit the BBC Make a Difference website for information, bunting templates and guides. They have everything 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.

VE Day Dan Snow

Dan Snow’s VE Day Challenge

Historian and presenter Dan Snow wants you to tell the story of VE Day and help mark this special 75th anniversary. Ideal for all ages to get involved in, especially children currently being home schooled.

Find out more about the challenge and how you can get involved