This week sees two important days for our nation, both of which matter hugely for quite different reasons.

Lockdown review

Although the review of the lockdown which is due this Thursday is not expected to yield any significant changes, the government has been signalling that the UK needs to get back to work. There’s been much speculation about how and when schools will open, ways to ramp up train and bus services, and details of how individuals can start to move towards the new ‘normal’.

On Sunday, Boris Johnson is expected to give more detail, with a ‘roadmap’ for ending lockdown and information on the very much needed kick-start for our economy.

VE day

To many, it’s just an extra bank holiday with added nostalgia. For the Keep it Cool team, as individuals and as a business, it holds great resonance for various reasons.

This Friday, on the 75th anniversary of VE Day, we will proudly celebrate and shout from the rooftops to thank all those who were involved in World War 2 for Great Britain in whatever capacity.  

Although it can be glib to compare times gone by to the current situation, there are some similarities: the nation supporting and celebrating particular professions, people fighting for their communities and the wellbeing of their families, and camaraderie like we haven’t seen in decades.

Covid-19 won’t put a stop to the celebrations in the UK. Although street parties are cancelled, VE day will still be celebrated in homes and on doorsteps. Families are being encouraged to decorate their houses with bunting, take part in virtual events, and raise a toast to their neighbours, albeit from a safe physical distance. 

Official commemorations will begin at 11am with a two-minute silence. Winston Churchill’s address to the nation announcing Germany’s surrender will be broadcast on the BBC at 2.45pm. The Queen will make a special televised address at 9pm (the same time her father, King George VI, announced Nazi Germany’s surrender on the radio 75 years ago). After the broadcast on BBC1, the public will be invited to take part in a singalong of Vera Lynn’s wartime anthem ‘We’ll Meet Again’. 

Raise a toast with us: we’ll be celebrating this Friday to commemorate times gone by and those to come.

We urge you to join the nationwide party this Friday and celebrate with your favourite snack, meal or tipple. For now, stay home, stay safe, but looking forward, let’s get Britain moving again!