'We need to keep stories alive for generations'

Mac MacDonald MBE says Cambridge is the latest stop on a torch roadshow to inspire younger generations to engage with remembering the fallen

A torch of commemoration will pass through Cambridge as the UK prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

With the aim of remembering the fallen and engaging with younger people, a ceremony will be held at Newmarket Road Cemetery on Thursday.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) said the anniversary would be one of the last that many were able to attend.

Mac MacDonald MBE, from CWGC, said: "It's about trying to keep the story alive through generations and keep it relevant to children."

The CWGC’s Lighting Their Legacy torch roadshow event was created to build connections between veterans and young people.

Mr MacDonald, the CWGC’s public engagement coordinator, said it chose to stop at the Cambridge cemetery as it was "one of the biggest and more diverse in the east".

"It's about trying to keep the story alive through generations and keep it relevant to children," he said.

"If they can meet these people, see videos or photos of them, what they wore, flew or even their graves, it brings it to life for them."

The event in Cambridge will feature stories of local people who were involved in the D-Day landings.