UK bank holiday changed next year to honour the 'Greatest Generation' in major anniversary
Plans for four-day weekend to mark 80th anniversary of WW2 ending
GB News
A bank holiday next year will be changed to commemorate the 80th anniversary of World War Two ending.
May Day, which falls on the first day of the month, will now be repurposed in 2025 to mark VE day and honour those who fought against the Nazis and Japan.
On May 8, 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered, whilst on August 15, Japan also conceded, ending the six-year war between the Allies and the Axis.
The Government has shut down reports that a four-day celebration was on the cards.
A new bank holiday could be added to the calendar next year to commemorate the 80th anniversary of World War Two ending
Getty
A spokesperson said today: "There are calls for a Bank holiday and we want to use the additional early Maybank holiday to commemorate this. An important balance has to be struck for business and services in the broader economy."
The celebration will likely be one of the last chances of many of the veterans who fought in the war to join in on the commemorations held in their honour.
Only around 70,000 veterans of the “Greatest Generation” are still alive today.
Market Garden Veteran Geoff Roberts, 99, said: “I think it’s very important in these current times we remember those that gave their lives for our freedom and peace in Europe.”
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Winston Churchill led Britain to victory in World War TwoPA
The celebration will likely be one of the last chances of many of the veterans who fought in the war to join in on the commemorations
PARoberts, who was a prisoner of war, added: “We should never forget them. Maybe an extra bank holiday will help to remind people about what’s happened in the past.”
Maire Scott, 98, who was 17 on D-Day, said: “An additional bank holiday would be an opportunity to thank all those wonderful people who made such a spectacular victory possible because, without them, the future could have been very dire indeed.”
Scott worked in a top-secret underground bunker passing coded messages from military commanders to soldiers landing on the beaches in Normandy.
The repurposed day off will allow communities all across the UK to celebrate the landmark anniversary, much like they did for the Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
The Government is reportedly discussing which four-days to pick to hold the celebrations on
PAMarking the Queen's 70-year jubilee in June two years ago, Britons were given four days to celebrate, with many street parties being held up and down the country.
A few months later, Britain got another usual bank holiday on September 19. However, the circumstances were not for celebrating - the extra day off was to mark the day of the late Queen's funeral, who died on September 8.
Next year eight public holidays are scheduled, the first on January 1 before Good Friday and Easter Sunday in April, May 5 and 26, August 25, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
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