Ross Kemp and Dame Kelly Holmes in Portsmouth: "We want people to celebrate VE Day to honour our veterans"

Former EastEnders star Ross Kemp and Olympic sprinter Dame Kelly Holmes stepped aboard a Royal Navy warship this morning (April 4) for a street party. HMS Duncan, a Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer, welcomed them and school children from across the city.

The aim is to promote nationwide celebrations for VE Day’s 80th anniversary, where residents come together to honour the sacrifices of those who served in the Second World War, and celebrate community spirit.

Mr Kemp, whose great great grandfather owned The Ship and Castle in Rudmore Road, Landport, told The News: “We want people from across the country to come together to celebrate the sacrifices made by our veterans. It’s an opportunity to say thank you to them and all the members of the armed forces who never made it through the Second World War.

“Their sacrifice enabled us to enjoy the liberties and freedoms we have today. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate the fact that we’re British, that we live in a free society, and all the different cultures that exist under the umbrella of the United Kingdom.”

VE Day, known as Victory in Europe Day, marked the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945. The tea party on HMS Duncan’s flight deck was hosted by The Together Coalition to encourage residents to host their own local events and teach schoolchildren about VE Day.

A series of national commemorations are being held, including The Great British Food Vestival. Ms Holmes, who won Gold for Team GB in the 800m and 1,500m in Athens 2004, was thrilled to be onboard HMS Duncan.

She said: “We want to keep the kids connected to the messaging around VE Day and what it meant for young soldiers to sacrifice their lives for the freedoms we have today. It’s about community spirit and celebrating our freedoms, but also food. We want people to have BBQs, curries, roast dinner, whatever food you like, because it matters.

“This will probably be the last ever big celebration for VE Day where we have veterans alive to this day. They’re around 100 years old. We’re not going to have them in ten years time. They made sacrifices and lost people while they survived. Their stories are ingrained in their minds forever, and they will get lost if we don’t keep them alive ourselves.”

Musicians from the Royal Marines Band Service played the National Anthem and several other songs while guests tucked in to tasty food and mingled with each other. Children played Jenga and threw themselves into other activities with the Royal Navy sailors. Even with all the fun, they also read letters from Second World War veterans about their experiences in the conflict.

Ms Holmes served in the Army between 1988 and 1997, reaching the rank of Sergeant. For her, VE Day means freedom, remembering, a sense of being, and celebrating. She added: “It hits home because you know the sacrifices the military personnel have made for many many years, but particularly 80 years ago. These were young kids. If you have a teenager, your teenager may have gone and never come back.

“Their sacrifice is why your family still exists to this day the way it does. It’s important from my perspective as a veteran to keep it alive and pass on the message to young people. We want Portsmouth and everyone in the country to come together. It’s your chance to celebrate who we are and why we’re here to this day.

“I’m hosting a garden party and asking my mates to bring round any food they like. I’ll be celebrating because it’s close to my heart, I want the memories of veterans to be kept alive and as a nation, community is important. We’re losing that sense of community and we need to regain that.”

Members of HMS Duncan’s crew volunteered to host the celebrations, with the destroyer being back in Portsmouth since Christmas. They were previously deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean, working alongside American forces and carrying out other tasks.

Mr Kemp praised the sailors and their hard work. He added: “The people I met aboard HMS Duncan, particularly the younger members of the crew, are inspirational. Young people get a bit of a hard time in the press, but everyone I’ve met from a woman to a man, are all exceptional human beings and it makes me proud to be British.

“Anything that brings the public closer to our armed forces should be encouraged. You’re very aware of being on a ship like this that a lot of the things our armed forces do on our behalf never come to the attention of the public because they’re preventative. Often, they don’t get the recognition they deserve, and VE Day is an opportunity to thank not only the veterans but also for those serving.”