Just three VE day street parties planned across Tameside

Only three streets in Tameside have applied for road closures to celebrate VE Day next month.

The 80th anniversary of VE [Victory in Europe] Day falls on Thursday, May 8. The occasion marks the date the Second World War ended in 1945.

The date was declared a public holiday by former Prime Minister Winston Churchill so people can come together, remember those who fought for our freedom and celebrate the peace they secured for future generations.

Despite road closures for the occasion being free of charge, in Tameside, only three applications have been made for street parties, according to the council. The location of the parties has not been disclosed as they are private events, but they will take place between Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 11.

A Tameside Council spokesperson said: “So far we have received three applications for road closures in Tameside for VE day street party celebrations.

“While the road closures are being advertised locally, we don’t want to draw wider attention to the exact locations beyond the local neighbourhoods as these are private VE Day celebrations, not open to the wider public.”

The local authority intends to put on events to mark the occasion and is currently processing road closures for the first two weeks in May for VE Day celebrations and during August for VJ [Victory in Japan] Day.

A council spokesperson added: “We are working on plans to mark and celebrate both VE and VJ day and details will be published in due course.”