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75th Anniversary of VE Day

Katherine Jenkins marks the 75th anniversary of VE Day by hearing from those who experienced the testing times of WWII. Recorded before church buildings closed.

Katherine Jenkins marks the 75th anniversary of VE Day. The Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, bishop of Dover, tells us about the role churches played in bringing people together to give thanks when peace was declared. We pay tribute to the forces sweetheart Helen Clare in an interview recorded in 2015, three years before she passed away, and there is another chance to find out how the code crackers at Bletchley Park helped to bring the war to an end. We revisit the Royal Hospital Chelsea to see the stunning chapel designed by Sir Christopher Wren and discover what life is like for the Chelsea pensioners who live there. There are performances from Katherine and Britain’s Got Talent winner and Chelsea pensioner Colin Thackery and hymns from around the country. Recorded before church buildings closed.

Music:
Praise My Soul The King of Heaven - St John The Baptist, Tideswell
The Lord’s My Shepherd – St Michael’s Church, Southampton
Make Me a Channel of Your Peace - Christ Church, Oxten, Birkenhead,
Peace in the Valley performed by Katherine Jenkins
You Raise Me Up performed by Colin Thackery
All People That On Earth Do Dwell - St Martins Church, Stamford

34 minutes

Stories

The role of the church during WWII

We hear from the Bishop of Dover, the Rt Rev. Rose Hudson-Wilkin, about the role the church played during the war and on VE day in bringing people together to give thanks.  

Bletchley Park

We revisit Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, where genius code-breakers including Alan Turing and Bill Tutte decoded millions of intercepted enemy messages giving invaluable intelligence to the forces on the frontline during the Second World War. We hear from Christian veteran Rena Stewart about her time at Bletchley and how, after living through war, peace becomes even more precious.

Helen Clare 

There’s another opportunity to see Pam Rhodes interview  WWII forces sweetheart and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Broadcaster Helen Clare, which was recorded in 2015 three years before she died. Pam finds out how Helen put her life at risk to boost morale and keep the troops spirits up during the war. We also hear her memories of VE Day.

The Royal Hospital Chelsea

Katherine Jenkins looks back to the time she visited the Royal Hospital Chelsea, home to the Chelsea pensioners. She meets Rev. Steven Brookes who shows her the chapel designed by Sir Christopher Wrenn, and she finds out from Chelsea Pensioner Tony Hunter what it’s like to live there. 

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Katherine Jenkins
Presenter Pam Rhodes
Executive Producer Cat Lewis
Executive Producer Emyr Afan
Series Producer Matthew Napier
Producer Charlotte Hindle
Director David Waters
Production Company Avanti Media

Broadcast