Sevenoaks will celebrate VE Day 80 with Beacon Lighting and music on the Vine Gardens

Sevenoaks will celebrate the VE Day 80th anniversary with special music performances and a Beacon Lighting on Thursday May 8.

The community event, organised by Sevenoaks Town Council, will start with a free concert on the Vine Bandstand at 6.30pm by the Jean Bentley Orchestra, playing wartime tunes and songs.

A fish and chip van and ice cream van will be on site, and the Vine café and the cricket pavilion bar will be open. Families are welcome to picnic on the gardens, and there are toilet facilities open.

A volunteer showcase of local charities and organisations will also be running on the Vine, to encourage the theme of public service on VE Day, so local people can find out about volunteering opportunities in the area.

At 8pm, local dignitaries will gather and then lead the procession to the war memorial and the Beacon, including the Mayor of Sevenoaks in chain of office, town councillors, the Town Crier, a representative of Kent County Council and the Deputy Lieutenant of Kent Mr Lennox Cato DL.

After a short ceremony of tribute, the Beacon will be lit and the final musical performance will take place. Sevenoaks soprano Fiona Henry (pictured above) who has sung with the English National Opera, will perform a solo of the official hymn for the national event ‘I Vow to Thee my Country’ at the Beacon to bring the evening to a close.

For more information see the town council’s social media pages and website www.sevenoakstown.gov.uk or call 01732 459953.