As many Parishioners are aware, May 8th 2025 is a significant date in World and British history as the 80th anniversary of the ending of WWII in Europe
To mark this occasion Ewhurst Parish Council are planning various events involving the community.This is possibly the last time a major celebration of this momentous period in Britains and the Worlds History will have veterens attending. Nine men from our Parish didn’t make it home and it is pretty certain many more were badly injured. Local families helped the war effort in many ways, supporting the fight for freedom by volunteering in the Observer Corps, the Home Guard, local women joined the Land Army. All did what they could.
The least we can do is celebrate their lives and remember that without them and others throughout the World we might not have the families and lives we have today. Thursday May 8th 2025 is VE Day 80. At 11am residents of Ewhurst Parish along with Children from our local school will gather at Staplecross War Memorial for a short Remembrance Service. At 2pm the whole School will gather at the Village Hall to sing a selection of WWII songs, followed by a snack and drinks. Running alongside will be an exhibition of period artefacts and militaria which should prove to be quite interesting. The children will then return to school, but may return to the hall at 3.45pm when we will be showing “Goodnight Mr Tom” a film set in the 1940s. Everyone is welcome for all events. Please come along and join in At 9.30pm the Parish will light a Beacon in Celebration & Honour of all. Assisted by Ewhurst & Staplecross Bonfire Society a Torch lit Procession will leave the War Memorial at around 9.15pm and proceed to the Beacon for a V.E. Day Tribute. This will be followed by a cascade of fireworks to end the evening. Friday 9th will see a themed Quiz Night at Staplecross Social Club to raise donations to Service Charities. This promises to be a great fun evening, keep an eye on local noticeboards and Social media for details.
On Saturday 10th May our celebrations will culminate at Staplecross Village Hall with a 1940’s themed evening of entertainment with “Miss Holiday & The Swingtones” singing and dancing into the night. The group are nationally acclaimed having played at large events such as Rye Jazz Festival so this is destined to be a great night. This is a fee event, unfortunately tickets are limited so must be available to Parishioners and people with a strong link to the parish initially. A big thanks to Guy and Janice Black of local vintage aircraft restoration company “Retrotec” for sponsoring the group. It is essential that the youngsters in our community and elsewhere understand the past and appreciate the sacrifice that the previous generation made, so that they can hopefully follow these examples. Please support us and the Community. Log on to
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/ve-day-80ewhurstparish or just type in VE Day 80 Ewhurst & Staplecross which will link to a Crowdfunder appeal to raise funds. Any money raised during these celebrations will go to Service Charities, one of which will be ‘Scotty’s Little Soldiers’, who provide relief from the effects of bereavement to young people who have suffered the loss of a parent who served with the Armed Forces of the Crown. The other charity we will be collecting funds for is local to Staplecross, ‘Veterans Growth’ provides much needed support for PTSD sufferers. Your donations of any amount will help us achieve these goals. For more information, apply for tickets, or if you would like to help in any way please get in touch. Thank You. “Lest We Forget”
Cllr.John.Lederer@ewhurstparishcouncil.gov.uk
07748483823