At the going down of the sun on 8 May, the Queen will light the first of 200 beacons to be lit across the country to mark the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe.
Beacons will be lit by church and civic leaders here in the diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales, including Ripon, Wakefield, Leeds, Barnsley, Huddersfield and Holmfirth.
It will mark the start of a three day remembrance for the anniversary of the outbreak of peace in 1945 after six years of war and millions of lives were lost and changed forever.
On Saturday churches and cathedrals – including churches in Leeds, Skipton, Featherstone, Knottingley, Bradford, and Huddersfield will hold special services and ring their bells at 11am in a shared single act of remembrance across the country and many have organised events and services around this. The Bishop of Huddersfield will rededicate the Tolson Heritage Memorial Garden, created as a place to honour the sacrifice of Huddersfield service men and women who have died in the service of their country.
It is 70 years since peace broke out in 1945 and the ringing of church bells has long been part of marking the moment and this is an opportunity to be part of this national event when together we remember all those who gave their lives for our todays..png)
The Service of Thanksgiving in Westminster Abbey on Sunday will be attended by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall together with other members of the Royal Family to commemorate this historic occasion. Following the service all eyes will be turned to Parliament Square and Whitehall for a parade of veterans and all those involved in the war effort both at home and abroad. Proceedings will be concluded with a fly-past featuring the magnificent Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Red Arrows.
The readings and service details are available to download.
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/91135/VE-Day-2015-Resources.pdf
If you want to share any pictures from your event ...please send them to Chris.freeman@westyorkshiredales.anglican.org