The Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by the Germans during World War Two.

From 1940-1945 the Germans set up the only concentration camps ever established on British soil and turned the islands into an "impregnable fortress" on the orders of Adolf Hitler.

Hundreds of islanders were deported to German prisons, while those who remained nearly starved.

Jersey and Guernsey were liberated on 9 May 1945, and Sark the following day, after five years of Nazi rule. Most of the inhabitants of Alderney, who had been forced to leave, could not safely return until 15 December - now marked as Homecoming Day.

Millie Goubert and Ellie Wilson, pictured with Crumpet the corgi, have completed the Liberation Day seven mile run.

Ms Goubert said there was "such a great community feel", while Ms Wilson said: "Everyone was clapping along the way".

Maureen St George was 12 years old on Liberation Day in 1945.

"I remember everything, it was a lovely, lovely day.

"Everybody was so happy, and the troops, the Army, were throwing us sweets and things, it was wonderful."

The 92-year-old said she would "never forget that day".

With less than 10 minutes to go before the start of Guernsey's Liberation Day parade, the crowds in St Peter Port are building.

A service and re-enactment will then be held in Liberation Square in St Helier, Jersey, at 11:00.

As part of this there will be a re-enactment of Force 135's arrival into Liberation Square followed by a performance of Beautiful Jersey the new official National Anthem.

Limited seats in Liberation Square are available on a first come first served basis for those wishing to attend the ceremony and service of thanksgiving led by The Dean of Jersey, the Very Reverend Mike Keirle.

There will be some reserved seating which will be allocated by the parishes to senior citizens and their families, residents in Jersey during the Occupation, evacuees and those who were deported as well as those who served in the war.

Vintage and military cars are also involved in today's celebrations in Jersey.

The Old Motor Club is going on a tour through the eastern and northern parishes.

It includes the club's only car from the Occupation.

Jo Gardiner from the club said it was great to have an extended route for the second year in a row.

Members of the armed forces and veterans from Guernsey and further afield have started to gather near the island's Liberation Monument in St Peter Port.

More than 100 military personnel representing all three branches of the armed forces will join the parade at 11:00 BST, which will be led by the Royal Marines Band Scotland.

They include a number of Gurkhas and Chelsea Pensioners as well as representatives of HMS Daring, Princess of Wales Royal Regiment and 201 Squadron - all of which have links to Guernsey.

This year's extended parade route will start at North Beach and down to the roundabout by Castle Pier and back to the Town Church.

The Liberation Monument - an obelisk - was unveiled in 1995 for the 50th Liberation Day.

It is made of 50 slabs of blue Guernsey granite, each representing a year, with the top five cut away to show the trauma of the German Occupation.

A heritage plaque commemorating a headmaster who was the only British survivor of a German concentration camp has been unveiled in Jersey.

Dedicated to Harold Le Druillenec, the plaque was revealed by Lieutenant-Governor Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd in a special ceremony at St John's School on Tuesday.

Mr Le Druillenec was found at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp after it was liberated towards the end of World War Two.

He was subsequently made headmaster of St John's School in 1949, which he led until his retirement in 1971.

Image source, St John's School

There are plenty of celebrations around the parishes in Jersey, including the Liberation Day church service in St John.

Paul Vane was there wearing his grandfather's medals from World War Two and the Korean War.

He said: "I think it's really important to remember and to continue that legacy, to remember the freedoms that we have and enjoy today are because of the people that served during the Second World War, and the First World War for that matter.

"We can't be too complacent about it, it's really important in our history, and I think it's important that we carry it on."

There was a cordial start to the Occupation and stores did brisk business as soldiers bought souvenirs to send back to Germany.

The clocks were put forward an hour to coincide with German time and motorists were ordered to drive on the right, causing a flurry of accidents. There was a 23:00 curfew.

On 6 June 1942, the Germans ordered islanders to surrender their radios so they could not follow BBC News.

While many radios were handed in, hundreds of people managed to keep them or make crystal sets.

Many islanders were caught and punished for spreading news. They included Harold Le Druillenec, a Jersey schoolmaster who was arrested in 1944 for anti-German activities.

He was deported and held in German concentration camps including Belsen.

People, including those who lived through the Occupation, gathered for a Liberation Day breakfast at St Helier Town Hall.

Maurice Dubras, who lived through the Occupation, said it had been very special to remember that day in 1945.

He said: "It hardly seems 80 years on, really, but it's been a most important event over the last few years, because it's brought [together] most of the people who are able to be here..."

Mr Dubras said he was "delighted" to see children and young people learning about the Occupation and Liberation Day.

"You can't go through life in Jersey without some relationship, some understanding of what the Occupation was like and what Liberation was like", he added.

The States of Guernsey marked VE Day by illuminating landmark buildings as well as a ceremonial beacon.

VE Day marks the end of World War Two in Europe after Germany's surrender on 8 May 1945.

Castle Cornet, Fort Grey and Beau Sejour Leisure Centre have been lit up in red, white and blue since Tuesday.

Starting school at any time is a daunting experience, but when François Le Maistre started he did so while his island home was occupied by the Nazis and he did not speak a word of English.

Now, 88 years old he returned to Les Landes School to share his experiences with the current pupils.

"Bouônjour. Coumme est qu'ous êtes? I'm sure all of you will understand that is Jèrriais. That's all I spoke. That was the only language I spoke when I came to this school in January 1944," he told pupils.

"None of us who came from the country spoke any English. We were like friends, all of us in school, because we were all, and had been, occupied by this time, for a long time."

Mr Le Maistre said: "Towards the end of the war, after the D-Day landing, the Germans knew that things weren't going well for them in France. They were much more mellow. Much calmer.

"From my memory I never had a German threatening any of us kids, they never stopped us, waylaid us, nothing like that, and in the 1950s they came back to kind of apologise for what they had been doing during the Occupation."

Image source, Rod Bryans

Guernsey and Jersey were the only Channel Islands to be liberated on 9 May 1945.

Sark was liberated on 10 May 1945 - the Allied soldiers were met by the Dame of Sark, Sibyl Hathaway, as the island's Seigneur or feudal leader. She had kept the occupying soldiers in check and protected islanders.

Alderney was virtually cleared of its civilian population and four camps were built - with two being run by the infamous SS - to support the construction works meaning residents were unable to return until later in the year - now marked by Homecoming Day on 15 December.

Image source, Alderney Museum

A tortoise who survived World War Two will be part of the Liberation Day celebrations in Guernsey, along with its owner.

Timothy, the 87-year-old tortoise, was gifted to Maggie Cull and her family as a christening present in 1941 during the German Occupation of Guernsey.

Identified as one of the only surviving pets who lived on the island during the war, Mrs Cull and Timothy will be joining the Liberation Day Cavalcade later, the States said.

You can read the full story here.

Image source, States of Guernsey

As well as all the events planned in the islands we know expats and those with links to the islands will be marking Liberation Day in their own way.

Let us know what you are doing to mark the 80th anniversary wherever you are.

Share your stories or memories of Liberation Days gone by and tell us how you plan to mark the day by emailing us at channel.islands@bbc.co.uk, external.

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A Jersey visitor destination has unveiled plans for a new public memorial to honour slave labourers who were brought to the island in World War Two.

Jersey War Tunnels, which tells the story of life in the island during the German Occupation, is planning a large sculpture called Sentinel of Souls and a commemorative trail, said owner Lance Trevellyan.

He said the aim was to "create a significant memorial that draws public attention to the terrible cost of war, the lives lost, and the human suffering endured during the Occupation".

Thousands of slave labourers, external were brought to the Channel Islands by the Germans to build concrete defences, including a gun emplacement at Corbiere.

Read the full story here.

Following the tradition of a siren being sounded from Victoria Tower at 08:59 BST, there will be a two-minute silence before the "all clear" siren.

You can find out what else is happening in Guernsey today here.

The main events are focussed in St Peter Port and at L'Eree, which is the venue for the St Peter’s parish event from 10:00-23:00 with live music and children's entertainment.

In town the parade will start from Cambridge Berth to outside the old Information centre or States Offices building (depending on your age!).

There it will be inspected at 11:00 before the service in the Town Church that starts at midday.

A 21 gun-salute will be sounded from Castle Cornet at 13:00.

The cavalcade - made up of World War Two military vehicles, vintage tractors, floats and pedestrians - will be led by bands along the seafront from Salerie Corner.

There will be things to do all along the town seafront with the piers, bus terminus and North Beach hosting live music, children's activities and refreshment stalls.

Vintage boats and the recently renovated Flying Christine will be open to the public - access from Albert Pier, which is also the venue for music, military vehicles and at 17:30 a Living History re-enactment of the Landing of Force 135.

The public events end with a drone show at 21:00 followed by fireworks at 21:15.

Events are being livestreamed on liberationday.gg, external

In St Helier the day starts with a parade into Liberation Square from 10:30 BST.

A special sitting of the States Assembly takes place at 11:00, after which the Bailiff Sir Timothy Le Cocq and the Dean of Jersey the Very Reverend Mike Keirle will lead a Service of Thanksgiving.

A re-enactment of the arrival of Force 135 - the liberating troops - will be followed by performances of Beautiful Jersey and the National Anthem.

From midday, uniformed organisations will march past the Pomme d'Or Hotel followed by a motorcade of a number of vintage vehicles which will proceed along the Coast Road and through the eastern and northern parishes before ending in St John.

At 12:10, an RAF Poseidon is due to flypast from the west along the Esplanade to Liberation Square.

The move towards celebration kicks-off with musical acts at Weighbridge Place from 12:45.

Further commemorative services will take place - one to remember the Red Cross ship SS Vega and its aid efforts during the Occupation in the Royal Square at 13:15.

At 15:00, the Slave Workers Memorial Service will take place at the Crematorium at Westmount honouring those who suffered and died under forced labour.

A live broadcast of events is due to start at 10:00 on the Jersey Liberation Day website, external.