Tyndale Benefice is bringing the community together to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
On Wednesday 7 May, St Mary’s Church in Wotton-under-Edge opens its doors for a special VE Day exhibition, running until Saturday. It features a collection of local photographs, historical artefacts, and a detailed timeline of events from 8 May 1945. There will also be prayer stations to offer space for quiet reflection alongside the history.
On the anniversary of VE Day itself (Thursday 8 May), there will be a full day of celebration and remembrance.
Lesley Hewish, Priest-in-Charge of the Tyndale Benefice, said: “It can be a huge step for someone to walk through the church doors on a Sunday. But coming to a VE Day event, sharing a meal, hearing a story, lighting a candle… that can be the beginning of something deeper.
“We’re celebrating peace, community, and the freedom so many fought for. Events like VE Day help us remember those stories, and pass them on to the next generation,”
Town Crier George Carpenter
At 12pm, Town Crier George Carpenter will deliver a public proclamation. A vintage wartime car, generously loaned by a member of the congregation, will be on display outside the church to capture the essence of 1940s Britain.
At 12.30pm, the community will gather for a fish and chip lunch, delivered from the local chippy.
Lesley said: “It’s going to feel a lot like a street party from the past. The fish and chips will be served with copious amounts of tea and 1945-era music. The day will conclude with a powerful service of peace at 5.45pm.
“The service will celebrate VE Day at the end of one war, but it will also focus on the sad fact that we live in a world that is still consumed by war.
Ken Green, a member of the congregation who is now in his 90s will share his personal memory of travelling into London during a Blitz attack as a young boy, and of his grandfather’s bravery in standing at his post as an air raid warden when it took a direct hit.
Local primary school choirs will sing and students from Katharine Lady Berkeley School will read a specially-written VE Day poem. A group of young choristers from the church will sing Linden Lea by Vaughn Williams.
Candles will be lit for the 30 countries currently affected by conflict. Lesley explained, “Each candle will be accompanied by a national flag, as a reminder that while we celebrate our freedom, many still long for peace.”
The commemorations will end with a nationwide peal of bells at 6.30pm, followed by the lighting of a beacon of hope on the hillside above Wotton.
“We celebrate the end of war, yes, but more than that, we celebrate peace,” said Lesley. “In scripture, Jesus teaches us to live peacefully, to turn the other cheek, to give second chances. That message couldn’t be more important today.”
These events follow an emotional start to the week on Sunday (4 May) when the benefice held two special services dedicated to VE Day.
A family-friendly service in North Nibley offered children and adults a space to reflect, give thanks, and connect with the past.
At Tresham Church, the congregation heard a sermon that was originally delivered in 1945 by a Reader called WE Gardener and was recently unearthed by one of his relatives who still attends the church regularly.
“WE Gardner based the sermon on a poem penned by a young ATS girl that was published in the Daily Mail at that time. It was very special to read and hear those words again, after 80 years.”
News Hub
