Published Friday 1 May 2020 at 17:05
Residents across Blackburn with Darwen are invited to join a stay at home street party to mark 75 years since VE Day!
Here we’ve pulled together all the best hints and tips to help with everything from homemade bunting to 1940s recipes, dances and song sheets for the national sing-long.
When: The stay at home street party will take place on Friday, May 8th.
The Government has made it a bank holiday to commemorate 75 years since Victory in Europe Day (the end of the Second World War).
Bunting: What’s a stay at home street party without bunting?
If you’re feeling creative and you’d like to design your own, there’s a plain bunting template here for you to print and add your own design.
If you haven’t got a printer, you could copy it by drawing the template on to paper or even an empty cereal box.
The BBC has also shared a video on how to create bunting using any paper, string, ribbon, sweet wrappers, felt pens, poster paint or whatever you can find around your home.
But, don’t worry if drawing and colouring isn’t your thing or you’re struggling for time, you can print off an official VE Day bunting right here
Remember, we’d love to see your bunting!
Email your pics to: shuttle@blackburn.gov.uk or drop us a message on Facebook or Twitter
Food: Why not serve up your very own 1940s afternoon tea?
While we know flour is in short supply (yes, even now in 2020 without rationing!), English Heritage has shared recipes for cheese and marmite swirls and carrot scones!
You can find them here as part of their fantastic VE Day pack!
Or, if you fancy a Great British Bake Off at home, why not give Prue’s Muscovado Flapjacks a try – they look delicious – worthy of a Paul Hollywood handshake we’re sure!
If cupcakes are more your thing, you can find some VE Day cupcake toppers in this Facebook group with lots more ideas for your stay at home street party.
If you’ve got a tried and tested recipe you’d like to share, please email it with pics to: shuttle@blackburn.gov.uk or drop us a message on Facebook or Twitter
Drink: Who fancies homemade lemonade or ginger beer?
In just a few simple steps, you can recreate the wartime favourites for your household to enjoy.
Simply click here to find the recipes
Let’s just hope the sun will be shining and that we can enjoy the drinks with lots of extra ice and sliced lemon!
Singing: The Queen is set to address the nation at 9pm on VE Day on the BBC followed by a doorstep singalong of Vera Lynn’s iconic war song: ‘We’ll Meet Again.’
While we will all recognise the chorus, if you need a little help with the words, here’s a link to the full lyrics
There’s also song sheets for ‘White Cliffs of Dover’ and ‘Lambeth Walk’ right here
There’s also a special VE Day playlist for all those who have Spotify
Why not video your sing-along and send it to us? We’d love to see it.
You can drop it to us by email: shuttle@blackburn.gov.uk or if it’s easier send it to us in a message to our Facebook or Twitter!
Dancing: If all that talk of singing has got you in the mood for a dance, why not have a go at learning the Lindy Hop Swing?
The ‘Lindy Hop’ is a swing dance that originated in New York in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
It gained popularity in the UK in the 1940s thanks to the American servicemen stationed here during the Second World War.
There’s a step-by-step guide available here or lots of video guides on Youtube.
Fun for the kiddies: Historian and broadcaster Dan Snow is set to host history lessons for children from Monday (May 4th).
At 4pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Dan will host a History Hit live on YouTube’s Timeline channel that will focus on a different aspect of the Second World War and aim to teach the public about the importance of VE Day.
There’s also colouring sheets to download – simply click here!
Why not also get them to help make the bunting and flags to wave and maybe a bit of baking too?
We’d love to see how your kiddies are getting involved!
If you’d like to share your pics for Facebook and Twitter, please drop them to us in a message on our pages.
Or you can email them to: shuttle@blackburn.gov.uk
Ancestry: Do you have a family connection to the Second World War?
Maybe you’ve long heard stories of the part your relatives played during the conflict – on the frontline or back home?
If you’d like to find out more and about your family history, all UK historical records will be available on ancestry.co.uk will be free for the public from Monday 4 May until Sunday 10 May, giving people the opportunity to uncover the personal stories of the Second World War and the roles their families played.
If you’d like to share a story about your relative, please get in touch!
You can email it to: shuttle@blackburn.gov.uk or send it in a message to our Facebook or Twitter accounts.
Don’t miss: A national moment of remembrance will take place with a two minute silence to be marked, where possible, at home at 11am.
To mark this historic occasion, Her Majesty The Queen will also send a message to the nation at 9pm on BBC One, the exact moment her father, King George VI, gave a radio address in 1945.
This will be followed by the national singalong of Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again.’
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will read an extract from King George VI’s diary from 8 May 1945 which describes the day including The Royal Family’s iconic Buckingham Palace balcony appearances.
As part of special BBC programming, extracts from Sir Winston Churchill’s victory speech will recreate the moment peace in Europe was announced 75 years ago at 3pm and the Prime Minister will speak about the importance of VE Day.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will record a special reflection and moment of prayer for VE Day.