PICTURES: 80th anniversary of VE Day celebrated in Mold
The sun shone on the square throughout and audiences enjoyed a host of entertainment, with Mold Town Concert Band starting off the day.
Children from Nercwys Primary School, dressed as war time evacuees, then read and sang WW2 themed songs and poems to the delight of the crowds.
Sharon Wallace also returned to Mold to sing popular songs from the 40s through to the 60s and CanCan band provided cafe style music from France, Europe and Latin America.
The event wouldn't have been possible without the volunteers from Rhydymwyn Valley History Society who provided a photograph and memorabilia display from the former Ministry of Supply's Valley Works in the Alyn Valley.
Volunteers from Mold Town Council dressed up for the occasion in 1940's outfits and were joined by Mold and Buckley Army Cadets who were kept busy throughout the day helping set up and take down the event.
RELATED READING
A spokesperson said: "They also did an excellent job of ensuring everyone enjoyed a free cuppa or three along with handing out free biscuits, chocolate bars and crisps.
"Staff and volunteers at the Daniel Owen Centre who had been busy all week decorating the centre were also dressed up and kept busy throughout in the café serving delicious homemade cakes.
"Attendees also had the opportunity to have a photo with Winston Churchill, who was on the square in his iconic top hat and suit. Although, some people may have thought they were seeing double as Councillor Brian Lloyd was also dressed as Churchill for the occasion!"
Mayor of Mold Cllr Paul Beacher was the judge of the best 1940's dressed competition and awarded a commemorative VE Day 80th Anniversary £5 coin to winners Denise Ball and Owain Davies, who both looked splendid in their outfits.
Jane Evans Mold Town Council Events and Community Engagement Officer said: 'What a fantastic day, such a great turnout, it has been brilliant to see everyone, all ages, come together to enjoy the day, the atmosphere was amazing, a real community feel to the event.
MOST READ
"We've received so many positive comments from those who attended, it makes all the hard work organising the event worth it. Special thanks to our event sponsor Romaquip and to Mike from Tesco's in Mold who organised donation of biscuits, crisps, drink and chocolate bars for the event.
"I would also like to thank Tents & Events for providing the chair hire free of charge and to Millington's Removals who collected and returned the chairs free of charge for us. Special thanks must also go to all the volunteers who helped make the event a success, including the team at the Daniel Owen Centre and Mold and Buckley Army Cadets, everyone worked so hard to ensure the event was ready and ran smoothly throughout.
"I would also like to thank Adele Davies from Mold Flower Club who provided the beautiful table flowers for the occasion.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Dunkirk 'little ships' will open to the public in September
Several of the surviving Dunkirk little ships will be open to the public in September. The Classic Boat Festival organisers say attendees can step aboard the vessels which sailed across the Channel to rescue trapped Allied soldiers in 1940 as part of Operation Dynamo. In what Winston Churchill dubbed "the miracle of Dunkirk", about 1,000 little ships sailed through heavy enemy fire to rescue more than 338,000 British and Allied troops from Dunkirk's boats form part of more than 50 vintage vessels will assemble at The Classic Boat Festival in St Katharine Docks on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 September. The little ships took part in 85th anniversary celebrations of Dunkirk in May, by recreating their voyage from Ramsgate to Dunkirk and back. In 1940, hundreds of small boat owners answered a call by the Admiralty to sail to the south-east coast to be used by the Royal Navy in its rescue mission. Also included in the free festival are motorboats from the Bates Star Craft range, historic tugs, and a commanding Navy P2000 vessel. In its 16th year the festival extends into the west basin, with larger vessels such as Thames sailing barges displayed along the public will also have the opportunity to step aboard some of the vessels and meet the owners who have preserved these nautical treasures, say organisers.
The National
5 days ago
- The National
Post-war Scotland play brought to life at Edinburgh Fringe
Former Herald and Scotsman journalist Kenneth Roy's The Invisible Spirit is often described as a searing yet witty dramatisation of Scotland's people, places and politics in the wake of the Second World War. Spanning from 1945 to 1975, The Invisible Spirit captures the complexities of a nation struggling to grasp a sense of its own identity while highlighting the social and economic desperation Scotland faced through the failings of its ruling class. Stories of poverty, diseases, scandals and serial killers are told through the eyes of three actors in the backdrop of shipyards and tenement slums as The Invisible Spirit makes its first-ever appearance on stage. READ MORE: Bold plans to save Scottish BBC studios from 'fading into history' unveiled Starring Chris Alexander, Fergus John McCann and Elaine Stirrat, and directed by Katie Jackson, Roy's beloved biography of Scotland will come to life for festival audiences at theSpace throughout August. It's a story of desperation, as Elieen Reid, daughter of the Scottish trade unionist Jimmy Reid, said, left her with tears in her eyes, but also one of community and hope. Roy's 'mischievous' storytelling managed to conjure laugh-out-loud moments throughout from the veteran actor Bill Paterson through his unsparing critique of the political and judicial class. The long-time friend of Roy's, Alan McIntyre, made his producing debut with The Invisible Spirit, as he said he believed it had been a real shame the author never got the play produced despite writing an adaptation for the theater before his death in 2018. 'It's been a great sort of experience watching it come to fruition,' McIntyre said. He added that 'it was just great to see something that had only ever lived on a piece of paper coming to life with great actors and great staging. 'It just feels as if we have done him justice by putting it on.' McIntyre, who is the international board chair of the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow, said one of the biggest challenges with the play was cutting the script by around 30 minutes so that it would fit the Fringe's time constraint of one-hour shows. 'I had this experience of trying to edit it down and feeling as if Kenneth was standing behind me saying, 'Don't touch that. That's really important. You can get rid of that',' McIntyre joked. Kenneth Roy He explained that he tried to edit the story so that it maintained the core themes of Roy's story. One of the main themes of The Invisible Spirit is the idea that Scotland thinks of itself as a socially democratic country, but the reality is that the establishment protects itself and that working-class people are 'screwed over' on a regular basis by the establishment, which tries to protect itself. The story is told through three narrators: The Daily Record, The Bulletin, and The Scotswoman, not a newspaper, but representing women's voices, as they walk the viewer from VE Day in George Square to the 1970s oil boom, weaving through the Gorbals, the Clydeside yards, and down the pits. One of the most potent scenes is Jimmy Reid's legendary rectorial address, Alienation, best known as the rat race speech, which he delivered at Glasgow University in October 1971, during his attempt to save jobs at the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders. His daughter, who attended one of the opening nights, said the play is a 'tour de force' as it seamlessly depicted numerous historical moments during the 30-year period - including her father's speech. 'The way they highlighted dad's Alienation address was very powerful,' Elieen said. 'The speech transcended politics, especially party politics, and people, young people going to the play and learning something of their own history here in Scotland, is really important.' (Image: Maritime Museum) Elieen added: 'Kenneth was a brilliant chronicler with his dry wit and sort of melancholic humanity that pervaded his work. 'Looking back on the Alienation speech, it injected a kind of pathos for me. I was a bit weepy at the end.' Elieen praised the play's ability to embody Roy's writing as she said it paid homage to his lament of Scotland's lost industry incredibly well. Best known for his wide range of roles, including House of the Dragon and Fleabag, Paterson got to know Roy and said the words 'just came running off the page' when he first saw the book's adaptation. Paterson said Roy's witty, wise, and mischievous charm oozes through his writing and that despite the bleak backdrop, the story of The Invisible Spirit still manages to draw laughter through his piercing observations. 'You giggle at it, you laugh out loud,' he said. The veteran actor said that despite Roy's story being set decades ago, it highlights to audiences that today's politics have moved on much since the Second World War. Tickets can be found here, and The Invisible Spirit runs from August/11, 13-16/ 18-23.
Daily Mail
13-08-2025
- Daily Mail
The Repair Shop guest breaks down in tears as World War Two diary containing heart-wrenching message is restored - and he shares story from the 'saddest day of his life'
A guest on The Repair Shop broke down in tears after seeing his grandmother's World War Two diary restored - and it contained a powerful message. In Tuesday's episode of the BBC programme, Roger and his grandson Thomas brought along a diary from the Channel Islands belonging to Roger's grandmother Lillian. The pocket-sized book became Lillian's 'therapy' from 1942 onwards, and covered the Nazis' occupation of Guernsey, Roger explained. The treasured family heirloom was 'falling apart' and 'hanging by a thread' when it was first brought into the barn, and Roger told the experts it had been handled a lot. Roger had a deeply close bond with his grandmother, and shared with the team his fear that the diary's 'fragile state' threatened to leave the precious entries unreadable. He requested the book be restored to 'a decent condition, in one piece.' But Roger's expectations were surpassed when bookbinder Chris Shaw not only fixed the structure, but added faint touches of blue watercolour where the cover's pigment was fading. Before the unveiling, Roger said he was 'tingling with excitement' to see his grandmother's diary brought back to life. And he was left speechless upon seeing the renewed book, gasping as he held it in his fingers before passing it to his own grandson. Unable to contain his emotion, he broke down in tears and said: 'It's just making me think of my gran.' 'It's beautiful,' he added. 'It's taken me back years. It's really lovely and I'm so grateful.' Roger's grandson Thomas told the experts: 'Seeing him having that connection with his grandparents the way I know I've got that connection with him makes it extra special.' And of his great-grandmother's diary, he said: 'It doesn't look new, it looks like it's matched it - it's incredible.' Chris had taken care to give the pocket book a timely and used feel, so as not to erase the signs of the past. 'Like it's just come out of Lillian's pocket,' added the expert. The diary connected generations of the family with its powerful messages - detailing Lillian's experience living under occupation with little food and the paralysing fear she felt when her son went to war. Roger went on to tell of the day she died, saying: 'She was a wonderful woman. She was lovely. She died when I was just nine and it was the saddest day of my life.' Roger discovered the diary in 2021 after his own mother died. 'When I started looking through it, I ended up in tears because of what they had to go through,' he said. And Thomas celebrated the new-found feeling of connection to his great-grandmother whom he never met. 'It's a surreal feeling having the diary in my hands now,' he said. 'I can actually hold it like Lillian held it and open it to the pages where she would have written in it. 'So, for me it just brings a deeper sense of connection to her and to the diary. 'The story of Lillian is an incredible one and one I'm happy others are going to hear as well.' A still emotional Roger added: 'It was absolutely wonderful, the tingle in me was unbelievable.'
