The region remembers

Crown Street library, in Darlington, put original copies of The Northern Echo from VE Day on display to bring memories flooding back.

Although the pages were tattered and yellowed, the words and pictures published 60 years ago remained highly emotive to many of the visitors who could still remember the landmark day.

Among them was Brian Swaddle, now 67, of Darlington, who remembered joining family, friends and neighbours for a grand VE day party in Gateshead.

"This does bring back memories of when I was eight," he said. "I remember hiding under the stairs with a cushion under my head and the dog under one arm."

Jeannie Bishop, audience development officer at the library, said: "We have had quite a lot of people in talking about their memories.

"Often, they feel their memories are not important, but they are and we want to write them down and preserve them.

"One man said he remembers cutting all the little maps out of the paper and sticking them in a book to follow the progress of the war."

The old copies of The Northern Echo are normally kept hidden away because they are so delicate and could be damaged easily.

However, they were out on display for the whole of yesterday morning.

Elsewhere in the town, St Herbert's Church, in Yarm Road, held a three-day commemoration, with a festival of flowers organised by Darlington Flower Club, and a Songs Of Praise event yesterday afternoon.

One of the organisers, Christine Blakesley, said: "The festival is proving very poignant for some people, as they are remembering an emotional time."

War veterans were joined by children for a picnic in the grounds of the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery in Durham City.

During a day of music, fun and memories, there were brass bands and free children's activities, including a bouncy castle, Punch and Judy and a roundabout.

In Newton Aycliffe, volunteer soldiers from the Territorial Army marked the anniversary with a parade through their home town.

The 124 Recovery Company of the 102 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, based in the town, marched past two mayors - Councillor Marie Predki, from Sedgefield borough, and Councillor Maud Gray, of Great Aycliffe.

Great Aycliffe Town Council awarded the freedom of the town to the battalion in 1988, making it the only TA Reme battalion to receive the honour, but Saturday was the first time the company has exercised its right to march since 1999.

Community groups and businesses teamed up for a fair hosted by Newton Aycliffe Rotary Club in the town's leisure centre. There were displays by police and fire services, the Army and St John Ambulance, as well as street entertainment and face painting.

Celebrations in the town's Scout hut lasted all weekend, where former Aycliffe Angels were among the visitors enjoying dancing displays, old newsreels, vintage vehicles and displays of memorabilia.

John Short, vice-chairman of the Newton Aycliffe Scout Supporters' Association, said: "We wanted to get the whole community involved, and there has been a constant stream of people all weekend.

"We wanted to mark the 60th anniversary as best we could and it has gone extremely well."

Dozens of villagers from Tudhoe, in County Durham, celebrated the anniversary by creating a memorial to the veterans of the Second World War.

St David's Church in the village was open over the weekend so visitors could see displays representing thousands of men and women who served during the war. The displays cover the walls of the church and nearby community hall.

Father Martin Wray, who led a thanksgiving service yesterday, said: "It is important for people to remember what happened, and we have provided evidence in pictures and displays of the lives that people lived."

Pupils from Tudhoe Colliery Primary School made a Bevan Boys Association Banner, which took prominence in the church.

Old ration books, wool and sewing machines were placed with a mock-up of a mini-jungle to represent the Far East.

Father Wray said: "This is a national celebration, but something in which our community feels it can also play a big part."

In North Yorkshire, Second World War aircraft staged a dramatic flypast over the crowds gathered at the Yorkshire Air Museum, at Elvington, near York.

Four USAF F15 Eagles flew in the Missing Man formation to honour those air crew lost in action, followed in the afternoon by a flight by a vintage Tiger Moth, the aircraft that provided the first flying experience for many Allied pilots.

Following the display, visitors were able to take part in a 1940s sing-along with "Swing Blitz Louis" in the museum's hangar.

An evening of film showing archive footage of the Home Front takes place this week at York Castle Museum.

Yorkshire in Wartime is shown at 7.30pm on Wednesday, part of the museum's celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

It will feature footage of life on the Home Front across Yorkshire, including the work of the Home Guard, Civil Defence and ARP units, as well as evacuees, women munitions factory workers and VE day celebrations. Admission is £2, payable at the door.