Celebrating in a socially distanced way

With the government’s restrictions around social distancing, Ashford Borough Council, like many other local authorities, has had to consider how to hold public events in a different way.

Recently we moved our VE Day 75th anniversary celebrations online.

Residents who might have been planning to celebrate with their neighbours were encouraged to have a ‘Stay at Home Street Party’, either with their own households, or by using video call with wider family or friends, and our website had various family-friendly activities to keep children entertained during lockdown

One of the plans for VE Day was to hold a photographic exhibition in our Memorial Gardens. This was transformed into an online exhibition, available to download through the council website.

Mayor of Ashford, Cllr Jenny Webb, prepared a special VE Day video message and pre-recorded a reading of The Tribute to the Millions, which were shared online.

Videos of a Remembrance Day Sermon, a performance of ‘The Last Post’ from the RAF Air Cadets and collection of commemorative poems and memories were also shared. 

Residents were encouraged to share their experiences with us on social media using the #AshfordVEDay75 hashtag.

The council received positive feedback from the community, showing that even in difficult times, the community can still come together to celebrate in a socially distanced way.