A Selston family-run funeral firm has stepped in to help the village pay its respects to the wartime generation by sponsoring the fireworks for its VE Day anniversary beacon lighting ceremony.

Gillotts Funeral Directors, which operates a funeral home on Nottingham Road, is funding a short display at the end of the event, which takes place at Wood Nook Recreation Ground on 8th May.

Selston is joining thousands of communities across the country that will be lighting beacons to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, marking the end of the second world war in 1945.

The free event, organised by Selston Parish Council, begins at 5pm. Families are invited to bring a picnic and enjoy a programme of entertainment, including a show from the Pinxton Puppets, the Marine Training Corps, the Rock’n’Soul Singers, a community choir from Underwood, and a Vera Lynn tribute concert by Jane Gregory.

The ceremony to mark VE Day will start at 9pm, with the tribute itself at 9.30pm.

Anthony Topley, a partner in Gillotts Funeral Directors, said: “We have heard so many stories over the years about how people’s loved ones played their part in the second world war and how VE Day felt to those who were actually there.

“Eighty years on, those stories have helped our generation understand the sacrifices they made for us, and this is why anniversaries like this are so important.

“We have had an office in Selston for nine years and are proud to be a part of the community, which is why we were pleased to fund the fireworks for what should be a very moving occasion.”

Thousands of events are being planned across the country for the 80th anniversary of VE Day, which is being marked with a four-day celebration from May 5 to May 8 and will include a flypast, concert, and a Westminster Abbey service.

Gillotts’ Selston funeral home is one of five branches operated by the firm, which also has funeral homes in Eastwood, Kimberley, Stapleford, and Heanor.

For more information, visit www.gillotts.co.uk