A PACKED programme of town centre events has been planned in Warrington town centre to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VJ Day.
This Saturday will mark 75 years since Japan officially surrendered, which in effect brought the Second World War to an end.
Under the banner of ‘Time Machine’, a number of ‘Covid-secure’ activities have been organised within the town centre and online to remember Warrington’s role in the war.
Delivered by Culture Warrington, Warrington BID, Ludovico and Technically Brilliant Art, in partnership with Warrington Borough Council, events and exhibitions have been designed to avoid encouraging people to congregate in a space at one time.
Saturday will see the lifting of the shutters on the old Lepp’s Jewellers building on Bridge Street to reveal a shop window transformed into a people’s history pop-up display.
This will showcase a knitted townscape of Warrington by Warrington Crafters and treasures from heritage groups, including Warrington Armed Forces Community Support Hub and Burtonwood Heritage Centre.
A special trail around the town centre will reveal how the area celebrated the end of the war and how American servicemen stationed here contributed to the VE and VJ celebrations.
The trail will start at Technically Brilliant Art Gallery in Golden Square and finish at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery, using simple QR codes.
Chapelford artist Marie Jones will also be producing a live, machine-knitted celebratory banner to commemorate the occasion at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery.
Digital contributions from Warrington-based company Ludovico include VE monologues written by award-winning playwright Alexandra Keelan and a series of short films highlighting Warrington during the Second World War.
These will be available at wmag.culturewarrington.org/news
To mark the launch of Warrington’s Time Machine project, a replica DeLorean car made famous by the Back to the Future film trilogy will be on show on Bridge Street between 11am and 3pm.
The £15,000 pilot project funded by Heritage Open Days at the National Trust will continue throughout the autumn season with safe and accessible culture and heritage events.
Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, cabinet member for culture, said: “This fantastic programme will bring Warrington’s Second World War stories to life and will give local people the opportunity to commemorate VE Day and VJ Day safely.
“From displays and exhibitions to performance and walking trails, there will be something for everyone.
“I am delighted that, despite the restrictions in place, we are able to mark this significant period in our history through these diverse cultural and heritage activities.
“As the town centre springs back to life, it is a great way to start a new season of cultural and heritage events in Warrington and to continue building people’s confidence to take part safely.”
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Harriet Roberts, Warrington BID manager, said: “Warrington is the perfect location for Time Machine because we have so many stories to celebrate and an exciting future to look forward to with the transformation of areas like Time Square.
“During the challenges of lockdown, Time Machine has enabled us to explore new ways to celebrate history on the high street and to test how heritage can be used to bring organisations together to support regeneration.”
For more information on the Time Machine project, visit warrington.gov.uk/events/warrington-time-machine-launch
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