St Albans Mayor to lead VE Day 80 celebrations
St Albans Mayor, Councillor Jamie Day, will lay a wreath at the City’s war memorial to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.
He will be joined by Councillors, Honorary Aldermen, senior Council officers and representatives of the Royal British Legion.
Everyone is welcome at the event at the memorial in St Peter’s Street at 9.30am on Thursday 8 May.
It will be an opportunity for the community to come together and pay their respects to the millions of victims of the Second World War.
Beforehand, the Town Crier, Stephen Potter, will join more than 300 criers across the UK and Commonwealth and read the VE Day 80 Proclamation. He will do so at 9am by the Clock Tower.
VE Day occurred on 8 May 1945 when Nazi Germany surrendered to Britain and its allies, bringing an end to the Second World War in Europe.
A veterans’ coffee morning, hosted by the Mayor, will take place at St Albans City and District Council’s main offices from 10.30am after the wreath laying.
Any veteran wishing to attend should email mayoralty@stalbans.gov.uk with family and friends welcome to do so on their behalf.
The Union flag will be flown from St Albans Museum + Gallery where a new display exploring the varied wartime experiences of local people launches in the Assembly Room at 10am.
This display highlights the unique personal stories of eight individuals from across the District with topics ranging from evacuation to life as a Prisoner of War.
Also in the Assembly Room, there will be a free performance of wartime songs by a local choir on Saturday 10 May.
There will be two sessions, at noon and 2pm, when the community group The Monday Choir will sing the hits of Vera Lynn and other 1940s favourites.
The Charter Market on Saturday 3 and Wednesday 7 May will be VE Day-themed with traders encouraged to put up red, white and blue bunting as well as other appropriate decorations.
Cllr Day, the Mayor of St Albans City and District, said:
It is a great honour to lead the District’s celebration of VE Day 80.
I hope many of our residents will join me at the war memorial as a wreath is laid in memory of all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms and way of life.
There are many other events people can attend and I would urge them, for example, to go along to the Museum + Gallery to see the VE Day display and listen to the choir.
I am particularly looking forward to hosting a coffee morning for our veteran servicemen and women.
This will be a chance for me to meet people from our District and thank them for their service to the country.
BEACON LIGHTINGS
Among the other events taking place around the District to mark the historic occasion are beacon lightings at Highfield Park, Harpenden Common and Redbourn.
This is part of a national initiative with more than 1,000 beacons being lit at 9.30pm across the country.
The Highfield Park event, organised by Highfield Park Trust, begins at 8.30pm with the Town Crier reading the proclamation at 9.20pm.
The Harpenden Common event, organised by Harpenden Town Council, takes place from 9.15pm.
At Redbourn, there will be a short service at St Mary’s Church at 8pm followed by the 9.30pm beacon lighting at the village’s war memorial. This is being organised by Redbourn Parish Council.
Following the beacon lightings, people will be encouraged to join in the communal singing of I Vow To Thee My Country and the National Anthem.
WHEATHAMPSTEAD VE DAY EXHIBITION
At Wheathampstead, the Parish Council is organising a free VE Day exhibition at Marford Memorial Hall, 11am to 5pm, on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 May.
Curated by the local history society, it will feature photographs, uniforms and other artefacts to bring to life the wartime stories of residents and evacuees.
There will also be a street café selling 1940s style cakes and other treats.
THE CATHEDRAL
At the Cathedral on Thursday 8 May, there will be a special Choral Evensong at 5pm, sung by the Abbey Singers. Everyone is welcome and the event will include prayers for peace across the world.
At 6.30 pm, the Cathedral along with other churches, including St Peter’s, will join the nationwide Ring Out celebrations with a glorious ringing of the bells.
Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727-819533; john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.