Flags flying, cadet parade, entertainment and beacon lighting at free VE Day celebrations

The flags will be flying when West Norfolk Council marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day with two free events.Celebrations will be held in Lynn on Bank Holiday Monday, May 5, and the actual date of Victory in Europe, Thursday, May 8.Bank Holiday Monday will feature street party atmosphere on King’s Staithe Square and a relaxed day of live nostalgic and contemporary music on stage. From 11am until 4pm there will be performances from Lynn Ukulele Club and Sarah Mai.

On May 8, there will be classic wartime vehicles parked on the square and free family activities from 5pm, including spitfire kits to build and colour, and flag making.A youth cadet parade will leave Lynn Town Hall at 6pm, marching along the quayside, stopping for inspection in King’s Staithe Square before heading towards the Minster.At 6.30pm Greyfriars School will perform on stage. Between 7pm and 9pm there will be more live music from Marham Military Wives Choir and Ashlea Lauren. There will also be food and drink available to purchase. At 9.15pm a civic procession will arrive from the town hall, led by the mayor and at 9.30pm, as beacons and peace lamps are lit across the country, the mayor will light the Lynn ones. The beacon will be lit in Hunstanton at the same time.Entertainment will draw to a close at 9.45pm. Cllr Paul Bland, West Norfolk Mayor, is encouraging residents to mark the historic occasion.He said: “These two events give residents of West Norfolk the opportunity to honour the past and celebrate a future built on unity, hope and peace. We must never forget the freedom and future that Victory in Europe gave all of us.”