Diss rotary clubs come together to celebrate VE day anniversary

Two Rotary clubs in Diss came together last Saturday to celebrate the belated anniversary of VE Day after lockdown had prevented them from doing so last year.

On Saturday, May 29, twenty members from Diss and District Rotary Club and Diss Waveney Rotary Club met on Brewers Green in Roydon, where they placed a memorial stone marking the 75th anniversary since the end of the Second World War in Europe.

The celebration was intended to go ahead on May 8 last year, but, with the first lockdown in full swing at the time, organisers were forced to mark the occasion from their front gardens.

Elaine Bootman, public image lead at Diss Waveney Rotary Club, said: “We were really disappointed last year, but it was great to see everyone out this weekend.

“It was brilliant. People brought some wine and fruit juice and it was really nice to see people you hadn’t seen in a while.”

The memorial stone was made by Keith Rackham and sponsored by Brierton and Woods Stonemasons, based in Scole, and commemorates the soldiers who gave their lives for their country.

The event was one of a number of collaborations by both clubs. It was lead by Graham Wuidart and Beverley Blake, presidents of their respective clubs, while it was initiated by members Ivor Dennison and Andrew Rackham.

In December, the two clubs paired together to plant 75 trees at Brewers Green

The planting was carried out with the co-operation of Steve Jones, the custodian of the green, who welcomed the additional planting, saying that it will add to the biodiversity on the site and will be another link in the establishment of green corridors for wildlife.

Mrs Bootman added: “The trees are growing well – it’s great for the environment and biodiversity of Brewers Green, as well as a lasting memory and testament to the 75th anniversary of VE Day.”