Families across the county are being encouraged to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day from home.

To mark the anniversary on Friday, May 8 - the Royal British Legion is calling on the nation to get involved from home throughout the day and pay tribute to the entire Second World War generation from British, Commonwealth and Allied Forces, to evacuees and those who served on the home front.

With members of the public unable to attend VE Day events, the Legion is playing a central role in the delivery of a range of activity including a VE Day broadcast, national moments of remembrance and thanksgiving, and an education pack for people to join in with from home.

A revised programme of events, in response to coronavirus, means that people can still commemorate and give thanks to the Second World War generation from the safety of their own home on May 8.

Families can take part by observing the two-minute silence at 11 am and holding themed 1940s afternoon tea in their homes or gardens. They can also decorate their properties and windows with bunting.

Children can get involved by colouring special edition posters which are available to download on the VEDay75 website and then displaying them in their front windows.

At 3 pm the nation will come together to raise a glass to toast and give thanks to the heroes of WWII.

Speaking on Monday, Pembrokeshire County Council Leader, Councillor David Simpson said: “Today would normally be May Bank Holiday but this year it has been moved to Friday, May 8, to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of VE day. I hope you can all pay your respects with a two minute nationally observed silence at 11 am.

“It does feel like we are in another battle - this time with the invisible virus, Covid-19.”

The Welsh Government is also encouraging people all over Wales to honour the 75th anniversary in their own homes, and take part in the two minute silence.

Ministers will be observing the two minute silence to commemorate those who lost their lives and lived through the Second World War on the steps of the Government building in Cardiff.

Following the Silence the Legion is hosting a VE Day 75 livestream, sharing stories and memories from those who served and sacrificed during the Second World War, and recognising the difficulties people are experiencing today. The programme will be live from 11.15 on the Legion’s website.

Later in the day it has partnered with the BBC to honour and celebrate the Second World War generation with an evening of memories and music from 8 pm on BBC One. This includes inviting the public to take part in a UK-wide rendition of Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ at 9 pm.

Alongside these events, The Royal British Legion has developed a VE Day learning pack which is available online. Designed for 7-14 year olds the pack includes first-hand accounts from the Second World War generation, veteran interviews and range of activities to allow families to explore and commemorate VE Day together.

The Royal British Legion’s Assistant Director of Commemorative Events, Bob Gamble OBE, said: “As we face some of the most challenging times since the Second World War, now more than ever it is important to unite in recognition of people’s service to the nation, just as communities did 75 years ago.

“There is no right or wrong way to take part in the Silence at 11am, some people may wish to stand at their windows or step outside their front door, but we hope that individuals and families across the UK will embrace the opportunity to share in a national moment of reflection.

“Then later on we invite people to open their windows wide and join us to celebrate and give thanks as we singalong to Dame Vera Lynn’s wartime classic, ‘We’ll Meet Again’, which has added poignancy in the current circumstances.

“There are many parallels between the struggles of the Second World War and what we are going through today. As we mark 75 years since Victory in Europe, we look to our Second World War generation to learn from their experiences, and the Legion continues our critical work to protect them from the threat we currently face.”

Members of the public can access the activities at www.rbl.org.uk/veday75 and on social media using #VEDay75 and #VEDay75Live during the livestream.