Image source, Simon Thompson

Residents of Great Ashfield, in Suffolk, have been invited to take a (socially-distanced) selfie with Winston Churchill.

The cut-out of the World War Two prime minister is the handiwork of Simon Thompson and his family, and displayed at the end of their driveway.

"We have put a message out on our local village WhatsApp group," he told the BBC.

"We're inviting people on their daily walk to take a selfie with Churchill, but no contact with it with social distancing.

"The reaction on our village group was amazing."

Residents at care homes across the East Midlands have joined together to sing "We'll meet again" to mark VE Day.

Moorland House in Hathersage, Queenswood in Beeston, Willowcroft in Derby, Foxton Grange in Leicester and Stones Place in Lincoln took part in the sing-a-long.

"We have many residents and members who served in the Second World War and we would like to say 'thank you' to you and everyone else who served and worked on the war effort," a spokesman for Methodist Homes said.

"Every night, overnight, we saw the flames of the crematorium."

When she was just 14 years old, Mady Gerrard and her school friends were taken to Auschwitz.

Out of the 13 Jewish girls from her school in Hungary, just two survived the Nazi concentration camp.

On the 75th anniversary of VE Day, Mady, who now lives in Monmouthshire, said she believed that continuing to share her experiences would help people remember the fallen.

"In my life, being an optimist was always the best choice," she said.

Read her story here.

Tom Ingall
Journalist, BBC Look North

Residents of Parkside Road in Hillsborough, Sheffield, came together for a socially distanced street party to mark VE Day.

Organised after the weekly clap for carers, people made bunting, flags and cake and stood outside their homes to mark the minute's silence at 11:00 BST.

No matter your age you can still get involved in VE Day celebrations.

George and Thomas, aged two and four, have been displaying the Union Jack as they drive about their neighbourhood.

They said: "We love all the flags, happy Union Jack day."

Scotland's public commemorations are being marked in accordance with lockdown rules.

And this is the display they were heading to.

The Red Arrows have flown over a virtually empty central London to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Meanwhile RAF Typhoon jets flew over Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast.

What a sight to see! Here are the Red Arrows on their way to Buckingham Palace earlier this morning.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall led two minutes of silence at 11:00 BST to honour servicemen and women who lost their lives during World War Two.

The Queen is also due to address the nation later.

The nation will come together in three minutes at 11:00 BST to observe two minute's silence to remember all those who lost their lives in the fighting.

It also marks the official start of the VE Day commemorations in the UK.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Muncaster Castle

The team looking after Muncaster Castle marked the build-up to VE Day by projecting the colours of the Union Jack on to the building alongside a "thank you" message to all veterans - with an image of Captain Tom Moore.

They also mowed a special message on to the lawns in front of the castle near Ravenglass in Cumbria.

Image source, Muncaster Castle

BBC Radio 5 Live

BBC Radio 5 Live's Phil Mackie is in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, where Rusty Waughman and his family are getting ready to mark the two-minute silence at 11:00 BST, and then take part in the toast at 15:00.

Rusty was a Lancaster Bomber pilot in 101 Squadron - he said he survived 30 missions.

Incredibly three of his eight-man crew are still alive and in touch.

He remembers that on VE Day they "drank the mess dry, then the local pub dry," and he can’t remember much after that.

Listen on BBC Sounds for live coverage from 5 Live.

Are bunting and flags the order of the day where you live?

Parish councillor Sophie Stephens has been photographing some of the decorations in her village in Warwickshire.

Share your pictures with @BBCEngland, external along with a name credit if you would like us to display them here.

Image source, Sophie Stephens

Image source, Sophie Stephens

Image source, Sophie Stephens

Image source, Sophie Stephens

Laurie Burn was serving as a gunner with the 13/18th Royal Hussars outside Bremerhaven in Germany when he was told by an officer that the war in Europe was over.

He said it didn’t come as a surprise because they had "already seen hundreds of Germans giving themselves up. It was obvious it couldn’t go on very much longer".

"We were very pleased it was over, but of course there was still a war on, with Japan, to face," he said.

"No more fighting, no more killing for the time being."

Image source, Laurie Burn

The 96-year-old, from Bradford, had joined up at 18 in 1942 just after his brother Peter.

He said it was important to mark the end of the war.

"We need to be reminded of the sacrifice of the men and the women," he said.

Mr Burn, who lives in Harrogate, said he had been looking forward to the major celebrations planned to mark the 75th Anniversary.

"We’re at war with a virus and we need to get that fixed," he said.

This plane carrying a banner reading "thank you heroes past & present" is flying over homes in Shropshire to celebrate VE Day.

Image source, Telford & Wrekin Council

Telford & Wrekin Council said the initiative was part of the VE Day celebrations, "but also to thank all of our heroes".

The plane should first be spotted around Ironbridge before it flies elsewhere in the borough.

Victory in Europe Day wasn't the end of World War Two.

Even after 8 May in 1945 many soldiers, sailors and pilots were sent to the east to fight against the Japanese who hadn't surrendered yet.

Here's a quick refresher on what VE Day is all about.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Adam Isfendiyar

Jim Radford, from Honour Oak Park in south-east London, was 15 when he served in the Royal Navy.

Now 91, he recalls celebrating VE Day by jiving in the street for five hours without a break.

Photographer Adam Isfendiyar snapped Jim and six other Londoners from their front doors as they compared their lives during the war to the coronavirus lockdown.

Read their stories here.

Events are still taking place at a socially safe distance to commemorate VE Day. Here's a list of what is going on and how you can join in.

• 10:50 BST - At a service in Westminster, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will lay a wreath on behalf of the Commons. Lord West will lay a wreath on behalf of the Lords
• 11:00 - A national moment of remembrance and a two-minute silence will be held
• 14:45 - In a special programme on BBC One, extracts from Churchill's victory speech to the nation announcing the end of the war in Europe will be broadcast
• 14:55 - Solo buglers, trumpeters and cornet players will be invited to play the Last Post from their homes
• 15:00 - As Churchill's speech is broadcast, people will be invited to stand up and raise a glass in a national toast, saying: "To those who gave so much, we thank you"
• 20:00 - Another BBC One special will feature Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins, actor Adrian Lester and singer Beverley Knight, who will be performing some well-known songs from the 1930s and 40s. The programme will culminate in the nation being invited to sing along to a rendition of wartime classic We'll Meet Again
• 21:00 - The Queen's pre-recorded address will be broadcast on BBC One at the exact moment her father, King George VI, gave a radio address 75 years ago. It will be her second televised message during the coronavirus outbreak after a rare speech to the nation last month
• 21:30 - Spotlights will light up the sky in Portsmouth to recall the experience of blackouts during the war. The local council says the lights are also to remind people "that lighter times will come again"

This is how people have been preparing: Read the full story here.

A World War Two veteran recalls hearing the birds singing after ceasefire was called on VE Day 75 years ago.

Lewis Banham, from Weir, near Bacup in Lancashire, was a dispatch rider with the 44th Infantry Brigade of the 15th Scottish Infantry Division in Schwerin, Germany.

He said it was "like a millstone off your neck knowing I'd come through the war and that I'd be going home to see my wife again".

Image source, Pathe

Seventy-five years ago, villages, towns and cities resonated to the cheers of people out on the streets, celebrating what became known as Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

People across the UK are marking that historic moment today.

However, the coronavirus lockdown has put paid to plans for mass gatherings and big public celebrations.

Organisers have had to think fast on their feet about what to do instead to celebrate that momentous day. Read the full story here.

You can let us know how you are celebrating by messaging and sending pictures to @BBCEngland, external.

Thank you for sharing your memories of VE Day with us.

On 8 May 1945 Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the German surrender and the end of fighting in Europe in World War Two.

People living in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have described the celebrations...