VE Day 75

Written by:  Jo Atkinson

The Very Virtual Event

We had so many plans for our #VEDay75 celebrations, with 2 months planning already under our belts before lock-down!

An afternoon tea extravaganza was to take place, the Community Committee had started to collect tea pots from charity shops, cups and saucers, cake plates and anything with WW2 nostalgia.  We had an army of volunteers ready to dress in vintage clothes and waitress for our VIP's (the community).  With entertainment from a concert pianist and an array of fancy foods donated from Sainsbury Bethune Ave, there was nothing stopping us!! HALT.... except that is, an invasion from an enemy we didn't expect and weren't prepared for.

Adapting to a new way of working was a struggle at first, a kind of shell shock set in, trying to hold on to all we knew, but tentatively moving forward towards a new normal.  The professionalism of our Youth and Community staff soon kicked in, with renewed vigor and increased value for each other, the team pulled together.

We distributed craft packs of bunting to 100 local families, and ran a competition to win a luxury afternoon tea from a local deli, Vanucci's, encouraging the community to decorate their houses and post pictures of their exploits.  Creating a buzz and lifting peoples spirits, allowing people to reach out to each other.  VE Day was very different to the one we had originally planned, but thanks to such a great community, it turned out rather well in the end!