Victory in Europe Day community celebration to be staged at Warwick Racecourse

The event on May 8 will be a centrepiece in the town’s celebrations and will feature a street party for up to 1,500 people in the centre of the course.

There will also be entertainment and activities and free fairground rides and stalls.

Also attending will be The Silver Stars parachute display team, the Warwickshire Regiment Re-enactment Group, a Vera Lynn tribute act and other bands and the Warwick Model RC Flyers.

The raceday is being supported by a range of community partners, including the Royal British Legion, 2nd Warwick Sea Scouts, Rotary Club and Lions Club amongst others.

A special VE Day luncheon will be held in the Paddock Pavilion, in aid of 353 Charitable Trust and the Wigley Support Fund (WSF), in conjunction with Parachute Regiment charity Support Our Paras.

The 353 Charitable Trust, which is based in Warwick, was set up in memory of Conrad Lewis of the Parachute Regiment, who was the 353rd solider to be killed in Afghanistan.

Tony Lewis, one of the founders of 353, said: “My father served in WW2, from D-Day plus six up until the end and so It’s important to me that we continue to celebrate and remember those who served then as well as those who serve now or gave their lives in recent conflict and this raceday is a great way to do that.

“Conrad lived 18 years of his life across the road from the racecourse, so we are expecting a lot of his friends as well as the family to be there in support too.”

The Wigley Support Fund (WSF) was established by The Wigley Group as an initiative with the Parachute Regiment charity Support Our Paras to help soldiers in need with the transition from military to civilian life.

Robert Wigley, Chairman of The Wigley Group, added: “We established the Wigley Support Fund in 2017 to specifically help re-train serving and veteran paratroopers. The raceday will raise funds to support that work."

David Fairclough, advice and information team leader from the Royal British Legion added: “In 2020 we will be asking the nation to remember the impact that leaving, missing and returning home has on service men and women and their loved ones – then and now.

“The commemorations and events for VE day across the country will be a central part of our remembrance and will bring home the scale of service and sacrifice made by men and women of the Second World War generation.

“We are therefore very proud to be working in collaboration with the Warwick Racecourse team at their VE Day event, which will enable people to come together in celebration and remembrance, as well as welcoming a number of veterans across the three-days who will be honorary guests of the Legion and the racecourse.”

The fixture will replace the Kids Carnival raceday which has traditionally opened the May Racing Carnival at Warwick.

Andre Klein, general manager at Warwick Racecourse, added: “This is a very important day and to commemorate the 75th anniversary our team are looking to forward to staging a race meeting that truly befits this important occasion.

“We want the day to be accessible for all, so advance admission has been set at just £10. On the day, if we are not sold out, it will be £15. Patrons born pre-1945 will be admitted for free.

“There are so many activities planned it’s hard to list them all and the level of community support and interest in the day is already far bigger than any meeting we have ever staged at Warwick."

To find out more go to: https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/warwick/events-tickets/victory-in-europe-raceday/