Wellington adapts VE Day plans for lockdown with home decoration competition
A Shropshire town is encouraging residents to celebrate VE Day at home with garden picnics and a house decoration competition.
Wellington Town Council had pushed the boat out with plans to host a virtual tea party for residents, complete with cakes, scones and entertainment, to mark 75 years since victory in Europe was declared.
The tea party and celebrations looked set to coincide with a visit from residents and dignitaries from Wellington's twin town of Châtenay-Malabry, near Paris, who were due to join in the events spanning three days of the bank holiday weekend.
But with the party cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the council is now urging residents and businesses to mark the VE Day celebrations on Friday, May 8, with their own picnics at home and a ‘decorate your home in red white and blue’ competition.
Caroline Farrell, events organiser at Wellington Town Council, said: "We encourage local residents to join in from their homes and gardens, whilst staying safe and protecting others, in celebrating this very special bank holiday.
“We would love to see people getting involved by decorating their homes in festive patriotic colours – and in the true spirit of 'make do and mend', we are advising everyone to get resourceful and recycle things they already have."
Photographic entries for the competition should be sent to caroline.farrell@telford.gov.uk by Wednesday, May 13, and there will be cash prizes for the top three.
