Hartlepool is coming together across the generations for a fun-filled celebration to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
‘Hartlepool Remembers: 80 Years of Freedom and Family Fun’ is on Wednesday 29 October at the Heugh Battery Museum on the Headland and features a packed programme with something for everyone to enjoy.
We’ll be tapping into the famous ‘Blitz Spirit’ with some evocative wartime re-enactments, uncovering the fascinating stories behind your wartime memorabilia – bring along your items and have our experts take a look – and recording people’s memories so they are preserved for the future.
There’ll also be ceramics and pottery craft sessions, poetry workshops and much more!
There are two sessions – 10.30am to 12.30pm and 1pm and 3pm - and places are free but are limited and must be booked in advance at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/communityhubs or at any of Hartlepool’s Community Hubs or libraries.
The event is part of ‘Our Freedom: Then and Now’ – a £2 million national programme of creative events to mark the 80th anniversary of the Second World War, involving local people in exploring the legacy of VE Day and VJ Day and what freedom means to them.
Hartlepool Borough Council’s Community Hubs were one of 60 libraries and arts centres around the country chosen to take part in the Future Arts Centres and Libraries Connected initiative, which is supported by the UK Government through Arts Council England.
The Hartlepool event has been organised by the Council in partnership with the Heugh Battery Museum, Hartlepool veterans and local community groups.
Local people have been taking part in a series of community-led artistic projects over the past six months in the run-up to the big event. The results will be showcased in a special exhibition - Our Freedom: Then and Now – which will run at Community Hub Central in York Road from 3 to 29 November.
Councillor Gary Allen, Chair of the Council’s Adult and Community-Based Services Committee, said: “This is a day for celebrating everything that makes Hartlepool such a very special place to live, bringing together people of all backgrounds and ages.
“It’s an opportunity to remember the servicemen and women, and the residents on the Home Front, who endured so much to win the freedom that we now enjoy, and to reflect on what that precious peace and freedom means to us today.
“Above all, it’s a day to come together, have fun and show our pride in Hartlepool. A big ‘thank you’ to Arts Council England for giving us the opportunity to be part of this fantastic national event.”