VE Day Celebrations at The Burlington

The Burlington joined the nation in coming together, even when forced apart by the lockdown, to remember the end of war in Europe and mark 75 years since VE Day on Friday 8th May.

In her speech, The Queen said the message of VE Day is "never give up, never despair."

Well here at The Burlington we were as determined as ever never to give up and we certainly do no despair despite the challenges and sadness that Covid-19 brings; so the team and residents joined forces and celebrated like it was 1945…..only the food, cakes and drinks were in abundant supply and contained all the necessary ingredients!!

In truth, as things turned out, the residents and staff grasped the opportunity to celebrate and have fun in the safety and comfort of The Burlington unlike most of the nation confined to ‘stay at home’!

It was time for reflection too; it was rather poignant that when war and conflicts between nations ended 75 years ago, now ALL nations have one enemy, Corona virus and like we did before, we will come through this too. 

The day at The Burlington began by joining the rest of Britain in a national two-minute silence at 11am, which gave us all the opportunity to pause and reflect, remembering the lives lost and sacrifices made in wartime and for sure in the back of everyone’s minds also reflected about the current situation.

Then we watched the RAF's Red Arrows (on TV) roar over parts of the UK, in a special flypast to mark the anniversary.

Festivities, and yes, some indulgence too, carried on throughout the day and the finale was a top of our voices, singalong of Dame Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again", which has once again become a symbol of hope for Britons during the coronavirus pandemic.