People invited to attend series of events in Great Yarmouth to mark 80th anniversary of VE Day

VE Day - Victory in Europe Day - is marked every year to celebrate the end of the Second World War in Europe in May 1945 when Germany surrendered after six years of conflict in which millions of people lost their lives and millions more were displaced or lost loved ones.

The day gets underway with members of the public invited to attend a flag-raising ceremony at the Town Hall at 9am. People are then invited to attend a memorial service and wreath laying at the war memorial in the town's St George's Park at 11am.

There will be a two-minute silence followed by the wreath laying on behalf of the borough by the Mayor of Great Yarmouth, Councillor Paula Waters-Bunn. Members of the Royal British Legion will also lay a wreath. The service will be led by Revd Canon Simon Ward, Rector of Great Yarmouth and Rural Dean, Great Yarmouth Deanery.

Members of the public, who are also welcome to lay a wreath, are asked to arrive at 10.55am ahead of the 11am start.

The service provides an opportunity for people to honour the memory of those who lost their lives in the conflict and look to the Second World War generation and learn from their resilience and determination.

Finally, people are invited to see the beacon in Anchor Gardens on the seafront in the town being lit at 9.30pm. One thousand beacons across the nation will be lit at the same time to represent the light of peace that emerged from the darkness of war.

The Anchor Gardens ceremony will also see people singing the hymn I Vow To Thee My Country, to honour the sacrifices that secured our freedom.

VE Day 80 is not only a tribute to those who fought for the freedoms we all enjoy today but is also a reminder of the resilience and unity that have defined our country ever since and reaffirms our commitment to world peace, ensuring future generations understand and cherish its value.

Despite the German forces' unconditional surrender in May 1945, fighting continued in east Asia and the Pacific with many troops redeployed to fight in the east instead of coming home. The end of the war in Japan came a few months later in August 1945 after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.