We’ve renamed this week’s Feelgood Friday to Thankful Friday as we celebrate the service, sacrifice and strength, of the heroes who made VE Day possible 75 years ago.
And what better way to honour them and say thanks, than by having a safe, fun-filled day.
Below we’ve found five ways you can mark the historic day and make it one to remember.
- Take part in the two-minute silence – At 11 am today, a national two-minute silence will be held to remember the sacrifice of those from the UK, the Commonwealth and beyond, who fought in the war.
- Pack a Picnic – We can’t have the street parties that many had planned, but we can have a picnic in our gardens, balconies or even in our homes. It’ll be good to forget about you know what for a while.
- Do a Victory Roll – This might not work for people with shorter hair, but if your mane is long enough (and that now applies to many of us), you can create the iconic hairstyle which was popular in the 1940s. It is named after the daredevil roll that RAF pilots made following a victory in the skies.
- Listen to the Queen’s speech – Get in front of the TV for a pre-recorded speech by the Queen. It will be broadcast at 9 pm, which is a tip of the hat to history, as that was the time her father, King George VI, spoke to the nation via radio on May 8, 1945, to announce the victory in Europe.
- Join the singalong – Just after the Queen’s speech the nation is being asked to join in a mass singalong with 103-year-old forces’ sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn who will be leading a rousing rendition of ‘We’ll Meet Again.’ What a way to finish a memorable day.
The internet is also full of useful free resources like colouring sheets for kids so our younger ones can get involved too.
One thing life under lockdown and this awful disease have highlighted is the value of everyday heroes.
Not Youtubers, footballers or celebrities but nurses, doctors, care, home workers, delivery drivers, shop workers and many others putting themselves in the front line against our generation’s biggest fight – The Coronavirus.
And those heroic men and women of more than 75 years ago showed us the way to survive and then thrive through the hardest of hard times.
Many hailed from Chelmsford, and we are all forever in their debt.
From all of us at Martin & Co we’d like to wish you a very safe and happy VE Day.
