Larne venue for VE Day 75th anniversary programme

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council agreed that the venue, with its proximity to the sea and harbour, would lend itself to the development of a programme of events and exhibitions in May 2020.

The VE Day events will coincide with the annual Friends Goodwill Music Festival and the area has been chosen as the host for the Northern Ireland Reserved Forces and Cadet Association (RFCA) Regional Celebrations.

Council officers met with RFCA representatives recently to discuss a potential programme, which will include a Remembrance event at the newly refurbished Inver War Memorial.

Last year, the local authority agreed to participate in plans to mark the historic occasion, which commemorates the end of the Second World War, over the weekend of May 8 to 10, 2020.

Alderman John Carson said: “Council is delighted to be strategically involved in the planning of the regional celebrations of the 75th anniversary of VE Day, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Reserved Forces and Cadet Association.

“This momentous occasion provides an opportunity to remember the sacrifice, courage and determination shown by people from all walks of life during the Second World War.

“It is important to keep the events of the past alive in collective memory, and among future generations to ensure that such a conflict never happens again and to show our esteemed veterans that we will never forget their contribution.”

Meanwhile, efforts will also be made over coming months to make contact with surviving WWII veterans living in the council area ahead of the presentation of silver poppies in Ballymena on May 6, 2020.