Westbank Community Health and Care commemorates the 80th anniversary of VE Day

A themed celebration has been held at Westbank Community Health and Care on the eve of Victory in Europe Day to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe.  On 8 May 1945 huge crowds took to the streets to sing, dance and rejoice after nearly six years of war against Nazi Germany. At Westbank’s Healthy Living Centre in Exminster today a group of staff, volunteers and regular service users, some of whom were small children when the war ended, gathered to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day and share their memories and thoughts about WWII. 

The VE Day party was the idea of 82-year-old Christine Winnington from Starcross, who regularly attends social events and activities at Westbank. Christine said: “I think it’s important to commemorate important events like this and remember what it’s like to live through times of war. I don’t remember VE Day, but I do recall as a young child being taken on the bus to my grandma’s house near Birmingham and going into a deep excavation to avoid bombing raids. I am proud to be British and proud of our flag.”

Roger Woodhead from Cranbrook was born in 1939 and was six when the war ended. Roger says, “I don’t remember much about the war as I spent most of my childhood in an orthopaedic hospital. However, I do remember the end of the Blitz. My old man was a policeman, and there were shutters in the police house that were closed and rattled when the bombs landed. We were lucky not to be hit. I also remember the doctors and nurses in the hospital celebrating the end of the war.”

Volunteer Susan Thompson has memories of rationing and what life was like in the aftermath of the war. She says, “As a child, you have nothing to compare your experiences to. That's all you know. I remember empty streets, the barracks nearby that were still fairly active, and people waking up from the turmoil and tragedy of war and finding their way back to a more normal life.”

Westbank Community Health and Care is a Devon-wide charity that supports people to live more fulfilled, healthier, happier lives for longer. Westbank offers a wide range of initiatives to improve the health and wellbeing of people of all ages and helps individuals make meaningful social connections to combat loneliness and social isolation.