It was an incredible honour to represent Girls’ Brigade England & Wales nationally in paying our respects on the 80th Anniversary of VE Day last week.
Thursday started early at Westminster Abbey for the Service of Thanksgiving, gathering with veterans, the Royal Family, dignitaries, service personnel and other uniformed youth organisations. Hearing Westminster Abbey come to complete silence for the national 2 minutes silence followed by the King and Prince of Wales laying wreaths will stay with me for a long time. The service was a combination of looking back with thanksgiving and looking ahead committing as a nation to a future of peace and reconciliation. It was a true honour to be in the congregation amongst veterans from the Second World War, as well as others paying their respects.
After a more reflective morning, it was great to attend VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember Concert at Horse Guards Parade. The concert was full of performances telling the story of the very first VE Day – including Queen Elizabeth II joining the celebrations in secret - and the personal stories shared, in addition to the speech from the King plus a surprise flypast from the Lancaster Bomber just as the sunset started! Of course, as with any concert there was also lots of singing, flag waving and fun as our light up wristbands lit up in time with the music!
I feel honoured to have been able to represent GB at these events ensuring that we continue to remember the past as we look to a future of peace.
