A toast to the heroes of World War Two and an online sing-along with Dame Vera Lynn are among the events planned to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

With the Covid-19 lockdown scuppering Crawley Borough Council’s plans for outdoor activities have moved online, with a string of events planned for Friday May 8.

Throughout the day, there will be performances from local talent, a range of pictures and content from the archives of Crawley Library and the West Sussex Record Office, and a live VE day remembrance service.

The national toast will be held at 3pm and the Dame Vera sing-along – led by the Royal British Legion – will be at 9pm.

All will be shown via the council’s Facebook page facebook.com/crawleycouncil

Elsewhere, Sussex-based group This Is My Theatre has launched a VE Day photography project called,75 Years of Peace.

To take part, send a picture of what peace means to you to info@thisismytheatre.com by 5pm on Tuesday (May 5).

If you fancy decorating your home with a spot of patriotic bunting, the Great British Bunting website shows you how. It’s part of the BBC’s VE Day programme and a step-by-step guide can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4TrqYDyf4PMdLypxzyTwGDg/great-british-bunting .

There are also plenty of ideas on the VE Day 75 website ve-vjday75.gov.uk

Peter Lamb, leader of the council, said: “While we might be commemorating this anniversary slightly differently from originally planned, we will be marking the day with some interesting and creative content for our residents to enjoy.

“I would also encourage all our residents to get involved and have fun while honouring those who served in World War Two.”