Great Dunmow Town Council is urging Dunmow and the surrounding villages to get involved in marking VE Day on Friday (May 8).

They are encouraging residents to decorate their homes in red, white and blue and have a stay at home garden party during this Covid-19 lockdown.

They have also asked that residents take plenty of photos of their events, so they can share them online using the hashtag #VEdayGreatDunmow, and also collect them for later, to show how great the area is.

And they want to gather photos and stories about family members and their connections to the Second World War, using the hashtag #VEDay75 on social media.

This link (https://ve-vjday75.gov.uk/get-involved/) contains online resources including tips for hosting a tea party at home, colouring, bunting and a creative challenge for children.

If you are on Twitter, look for @DCMS on May 8 for a hero video.

Ahead of Friday, historian Dan Snow has been running a week of history lessons on YouTube and has a creative challenge for children.

Did you know?

Did you know that Dunmow didn’t celebrate VE Day?

Dunmow Historical Society’s Peter Street said the war in Japan had not finished when VE Day was being marked.

Their celebration was instead held on Victory Day in 1946.

“If there was anything happening for VE Day it was just spontaneous,” he told the Broadcast.