VE Day took place in May 1945 to mark the official surrender of Germany as World War II came to an end, and was celebrated with street parties across the UK. This year is the 80th anniversary of VE Day and may be the last major anniversary which World War II veterans are still able to take part in and share their firsthand memories. It is vital that their experience is captured and passed on to future generations.
To involve young people in marking the anniversary, the Together Coalition have launched VE Mail. Schools are able to request a letter from a veteran to hear directly from people who lived and fought during the Second World War, and then write back about what they have learnt. More information, a link to request a letter from a veteran and guidance for teachers is available here.
Further information
Dear Friends, Councillors & Ministers,
Colourful Heritage are working with /together Coalition in the run up to VE Day 80. We’re reaching out to invite you to share a powerful national message as part of our VE Day 80 campaign.
On Wednesday 23rd April, ten World War Two veterans including 3 surviving South Asians in UK (2 Muslims & 1 Sikh Veteran) have released an Open Letter inviting the UK to get together and to remember the 80th anniversary of Victory Europe (VE) Day on Monday 5 May.
It’s a call for the nation to come together and mark VE Day 80 in two simple but meaningful ways:
- #VEMail – helping schoolchildren thank and learn from a WWII veteran (If you are a school/ language school/youth group you may specifically request a WWII South Asian Veteran letter by signing up and emailing [email protected])
- Great British Food Festival – hosting local events where people can share food and stories
To promote this there is also a short film where some of the veterans and public figures including Stephen Fry, Dame Kelly Holmes, Paul Hollywood, and Bear Grylls read out the ‘open letter’.
You can read the open letter here: www.together.org.uk/ve80/letter
🎬 Open Letter Video link: https://youtu.be/e_04cOkCatI
We’d be hugely grateful if you could share the video on your platforms to help build awareness and participation.
🗓️ Share from our channels:
- Head to our social channels and re-share the posts from Wednesday 23rd April from our accounts:
Website | Instagram | X | LinkedIn | YouTube | TikTok
We’d love to collaborate on Instagram, please tag @togethercoalition and invite us as a collaborator.
📣 Suggested caption:
Ten Second World War veterans have released an Open Letter to the nation inviting people to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory Europe (VE) Day on Monday 5 May.
This Open Letter invites us to reflect, celebrate, and connect together for VE Day 80
Head to www.together.org.uk/ve80/letter to read the letter and find out more.
#VE80 #GreatBritishFoodFestival #VEMail
Let me know if the /together team can provide anything else – we’re happy to supply graphics, copy, or custom formats.
Kind regards,
Saqib Razzaq, Lead on behalf of /Together Team
Project Officer
Colourful Heritage