A national celebration of the 75th Anniversary of VE Day was to take place on Friday 8th May this year. The normal Monday May Bank Holiday was moved to the Friday to accommodate this special event.
However, due to the current pandemic the national event has been cancelled.
Aycliffe Town Centre Management and Aycliffe Radio had organised a day of 1940s music and displays from our local armed services including the 124 Recovery Company, the 201 Field Hospital Unit, the 102 Battalion (Territorial Army) and the town’s 1407 Air Cadets.
Although we are hoping to reschedule the celebration to Saturday 15th August (VJ Day), Newton News and Aycliffe Radio are to commemorate VE Day in their own way.
Next week’s edition of the Newton News will look back at Newton Aycliffe in the 1940s, focusing mainly only the Royal Ordnance Factory and the Aycliffe Angels, who were working in Aycliffe during the war time period.
We will pay homage to the Angels and inform readers of what it was they did during their time at the Royal Ordnance Factory.
The 8th May special edition is sponsored by the Town Centre landlords who are keen to get involved in the local community. Copies will be available to pick up at retail outlets around Newton Aycliffe.

ABOUT VE DAY
• Victory in Europe Day, generally known as VE Day, marks 8th May 1945, the day on which World War II in Europe ended.
• In the United Kingdom on 8th May 1945, more than one million people celebrated in the streets to mark the end of the European part of the war. In London, crowds massed in Trafalgar Square and up The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, appeared on the balcony of the palace before the cheering crowds.
• VE Day is celebrated and remembered by people around Britain each year. The 70th anniversary of VE Day, in 2015, was marked with a series of events across the UK. There were three days of commemorations including parades, street parties, a service of thanksgiving and a concert in central London.

Aycliffe Radio Donate to Care Homes

Aycliffe Radio will be commencing a new day time show aimed at the over 70s which is entitled “Memory Lane”. This show will take listeners back to the 1940s and 1950s playing music, past radio ads and information clips.
The new show will start on Friday 8th May at 1.00pm with a three hour special and will continue weekdays from 1.00pm to 2.00pm.
The presenter for this show, Gary Avery, will announce birthday and anniversary dedications on a Monday for those celebrating that week – please send your dedications and requests to info@ayclifferadio.co.uk.
As Aycliffe Radio are an internet based radio station, they have donated an Amazon Echo Show to each of the Care Homes residents lounges in Newton Aycliffe, this will enable the residents to tune in and listen to this new show and to be used for other entertainment purposes.