IT WILL be all quiet on the home front when celebrations take place around the nation to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Not a sound of triumph will echo in Wilmslow, Handforth or Alderley Edge - unless someone steps into the breach.

Official victory celebrations will be taking place elsewhere but so far no commemorative events to mark Victory in Europe and Victory in Japan are scheduled to take place in the Wilmslow area.

But there is still time as the date for applications for grant aid has been extended to May 21.

Millions in lottery cash has seen set aside to support community events for the Home Front Recall scheme.

Grants of between £500 and £20,000 are on offer to aid projects including special community days, reunions or exhibitions.

Recordings of the experiences of those who lived through the wars, plays and artwork can also be funded.

Last year cash was awarded from the fund to the Wilmslow branch of the Women's Royal Army Corp to pay for a special anniversary party held at the Royal British Legion Club, Grove Avenue for 80 guests.

Spokesman Lillian Edwards, 84, said as well as commemorating the end of the war it was held in honour of the 10th anniversary of the WRAC set up in Wilmslow in 1994 .

Twelve other branches from the north west were invited to the event held in June 2004.

"We swapped many happy memories and had a wonderful time in the process," said Lillian who joined when she was just 17 years old and served war office statistics at several locations throughout the UK. She reached the rank of Sergeant Major by 1944 when she went on to join the Army Education Corps at St Andrew's University.

In July official VE and VJ Day celebrations will take place in Chester where old soldiers, from the Royal British Legion branches of Wilmslow, Alderley Edge and Handforth will salute the cease of hostilities back in 1945.

And a VE and VJ Day party is due to take place at Macclesfield Town Hall on Sunday July 10 for families who want to remember the end of the war. Co-ordinator, Allan Williams, is leading the appeal for support.

A Wilmslow fireman he formerly served with the Royal Navy, as a chef and later as a diver, and has been awarded several campaign medals including for service in Northern Ireland and the Faulklands. He has a United Nations peacekeeping medal, Royal Navy long service medals and two jubilee awards.

Allan has been working on the VE and VJ project alongside the borough council, fire service and police.

Now he is hoping former members of the Home Guard, Land Army, Bevin Boys, factory workers, and others who served our country in its time of need will join in to make it a memorable day.

He is also hoping that vehicles from the war years will be on parade and has already secured a 1938 Leyland engine used by the fire service during the blitz in Manchester and Liverpool.

The vintage wartime engine will take pride of place amid a display of military vehicles including jeeps and ambulances.

There is also to be an exhibition of war time memorabilia in the Town Hall including photographs so that there will be a permanent snap shot of the war years.

The Wilmslow Express also wants to record your wartime memories and invites readers to share their experiences and photographs for a special supplement to be published later in the year.

  • WE would also like to know if any street parties or celebrations are planned to mark the 60th anniversary of WW2.