Celebrate VE Day with Chesterfield Museum

Chesterfield Borough Council had planned a wide range of events to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day, however due to the coronavirus outbreak these have had to be cancelled. But the council is still working hard to commemorate this important occasion and highlight ways that local residents can get involved.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy and our Armed Forces Champion, said: “The VE Day celebrations planned for Chesterfield would have been truly special, underpinned by our fantastic events programme. Given the ongoing crisis we are encouraging residents to find that blitz spirit and come up with unique ways to commemorate and remember this day at home. For a lot of veterans this is a chance to reflect on their service, and for us to remember and thank them for the sacrifices they and our communities made.”

In the build up to VE Day the council will be holding a countdown across its social media pages to support everyone to get involved and to share some of the great ways that Chesterfield’s residents will be helping the town and borough to commemorate VE Day.

The Council’s Museum event was originally planned by a group called History’s Maid, who were going to be putting on live performances at the Museum; however, they have now produced a series of videos that cover the final months of the war from the perspective of a British soldier. These performances will help people connect with the past and provide important historical insight. They will be released every day at 11am on the Museum’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/chesterfieldmuseum/

The Museum has also created a special resource centre that includes activities for the whole family. This includes World War Two themed baking, quizzes and craft activities. You can access these on the museum website: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/explore-chesterfield/museum/whats-on/ve-day.aspx.