Published Friday 1 May 2020 at 17:00
Residents in Blackburn with Darwen are being invited to join in with a ‘stay at home street party’ to commemorate 75 years since VE Day.
Due to the coronavirus lockdown, plans to mark the anniversary across the borough have had to be cancelled.
But leader of the council, Councillor Mohammed Khan, hopes residents will celebrate at home with bunting, afternoon tea and a doorstep sing-a-long!
On the bank holiday (Friday, May 8), there’ll also be a national two minute silence at 11am as well as an address from the Queen at 9pm – the exact moment her father, King George VI, gave a radio address in 1945.
Councillor Khan said:
Blackburn with Darwen is bursting with community spirit and at times like these we’re used to seeing whole streets decked out and big street parties planned.
We’re also a patriotic bunch and so we’re inviting all of our residents to join in with a stay at home street party.
We’d love to see homemade bunting and people enjoying afternoon tea with their households in their gardens or yards.
There’s a national sing-a-long on Friday evening of Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and I’m sure the residents of Blackburn with Darwen will be in fine voice!
The council has pulled together lots of hints and tips for creating the stay at home street party in a brand new toolkit and will be sharing ideas each day on Facebook and Twitter.
Councillor Khan added:
We know this is a very different way to commemorate the 75th anniversary than we had planned, but we’re good at making the best of a situation.
We’re facing the toughest of times since the Second World War and the important thing is to keep safe as we face the worst public health crisis in a generation.
Having said that, now more than ever is a real time for reflection and coming together to show our appreciation for the sacrifices others are making every single day.
Those young men who went to war to fight for our freedom, many paying the ultimate sacrifice, and their efforts, and those of all involved, deserve to be commemorated.
In the new toolkit, residents can find links to templates for making 1940s recipes, tips on how to dance the Lindy Hop and a VE Day playlist.
There’s also templates for bunting, colouring in sheets and info on fun, educational resources.