This May, the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans would have been taking WWII veterans to 75th anniversary Dutch Liberation and VE Day celebrations. Sadly, these events had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 restrictions and many of the veterans will be spending the 8 May alone.
The Taxi Charity wanted to remind WWII heroes that they were being remembered for the crucial part they played in bringing peace to Europe despite the lockdown and designed a commemorative gift and booklet.
The gift, specially designed for WWII veterans by the charity, is a metal tin depicting the famous Buckingham Palace balcony image, containing sweets and chocolates, that were available in the 1940’s, and a VE Day 75 anniversary pin badge donated by The Spirit of Normandy Trust. The VE Day gifts are being distributed to these WWII heroes by volunteer London Licensed black cab drivers who do so much throughout the year to support veterans and have gone above and beyond during the pandemic restrictions.
Dick Goodwin, Vice President, The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, said,
“Ensuring our veterans know that the Taxi Charity is supporting and thinking about them during this unprecedented time is so important to everyone at the charity. We know how disappointed the WWII veterans were that the events to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day here and across Europe had been cancelled so we were keen to provide them with a commemorative gift. We have been overwhelmed by the incredibly generous donation from Tesco, who provided hundreds of bars of chocolate and nougat to fill the tins and to the World’s Oldest Sweet Shop, in North Yorkshire, who supported the project with traditional boiled sweets.”
To see more about how the Taxi Charity supports veterans from all conflicts and to read VE Day memories from WWII veterans visit www.taxicharity.org
Notes to Editors
Interviews can be arranged with WWII veterans either via the internet or in person providing social distancing restrictions are respected.
Pictured Marie Scott who was awarded the Legion d’Honneur for the part she played in WWII transmitting messages to and from the beaches on D Day
About VE Day
Victory in Europe Day, generally known as VE Day celebrates the formal acceptance by the allies of WWII of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces on 8 May 1945.
About the Taxi Charity
The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was formed in Fulham in 1948, to work for the benefit, comfort and enjoyment of military veterans and arranges many trips every year for veterans from all conflicts.
The charity offers international trips to The Netherlands, Belgium and France, UK day trips to concerts or museums, transport to attend fundraising events, as well as special days out to catch up with friends and comrades.
To fund and facilitate these outings, the charity is wholly reliant on generous donations from members of the public, businesses and trusts and the amazing group of London licensed taxi drivers who offer their time and vehicles free. www.taxicharity.org
