Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 3 May 2025.

His Majesty The King will join Second World War veterans in London tomorrow for a military procession and fly past to mark VE Day 80.

• Hollywood actor Timothy Spall will read Churchill speech
• Iconic buildings across the country will light up from Tuesday evening in tribute
• National two-minute silence will be held at 12 noon on Thursday

Four days of national commemorations to the Second World War generation kick off in London tomorrow with a recital of iconic Winston Churchill speeches by Hollywood actor Timothy Spall.

Timothy Spall will start the events by reading extracts from Churchill’s iconic VE Day victory speech in 1945. Normandy veteran Alan Kennett, 100, will formally start the procession after being handed the Commonwealth War Graves’ Torch For Peace by Air Cadet Warrant Officer Emmy Jones.

The procession, featuring more than 1,300 members of the Armed Forces and youth groups will march down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up the Mall towards Buckingham Palace where Their Majesties The King and Queen, as well as Members of The Royal Family, the Prime Minister and a number of Second World War veterans will be on a specially built platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial.

A fly past, which Members of the Royal Family will watch from the Balcony at Buckingham Palace, will conclude Monday’s events. From 9pm on Tuesday evening, hundreds of buildings across the country will be lit up to mark VE 80. Buildings include Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, Canary Wharf’s 1 Canada Square, the Shard, Lowther Castle, Rochester Cathedral, Manchester Printworks, Cardiff Castle, Senedd, Perth Bridge, City Chambers and Belfast City Hall.

On Thursday, a service at Westminster Abbey will begin with a national two-minute silence, which is expected to be replicated across the nation.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

This 80th anniversary is a moment of national unity. A time to celebrate that hard won peace, honour the memory of those who lost their lives, and remember the sacrifices made by so many to secure our freedom. Their legacy lives on today in how we stand together in defence of the values they fought for and which bind us together as a nation. This week, we come together to salute their service.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:

80 years ago millions of people celebrated the end of the Second World War in Europe. This week, we will recreate this moment across towns and cities, in our homes, in pubs and on our streets.

We must do all we can to ensure that the stories and memories of this period in our history are not forgotten. We must not forget the hardships, the heroics and the millions who lost their lives.

We are here because of the sacrifices they made and the horrors they endured. This week, I urge the nation to come together and send a powerful message: we will remember them.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Across the four days, official events and services will be taking place across the UK to mark 80 years of the end of the Second World War in Europe including events in the Devolved Nations, including:

Monday 5 May:

• To ensure the commemorations act as a point of remembrance of the millions who lost their lives in the conflict as well as a celebration of peace, the commemorations will begin in Whitehall. The Cenotaph, the nation’s focal point of remembrance, will be dressed in Union Flags for the duration of the four day commemorations, echoing the 1920 unveiling of the monument to the fallen. From Monday 5 May, it will provide a focal point for the commemorations and a place to pay silent tribute to all those who died, both at home and abroad, during the Second World War.
• The VE Day 80 commemorations will continue with a street party on HMS Belfast. HMS Belfast fired some of the opening shots on D Day in 1944 and protected Arctic convoys during the Second World War and is the most significant surviving Second World War warship.
• Street parties, barbecues and community get togethers, supported by ideas and inspiration from The Together Coalition and The Big Lunch, will be held by communities across the country, echoing the celebrations 80 years ago as the population welcomed the end of the war.

Tuesday 6 May:

• An installation of ceramic poppies will return to the Tower of London to mark the anniversary. Nearly 30,000 of the original poppies from the 2014 display at the Tower, which commemorated the centenary of the First World War, will be displayed in a new installation within the walls of the fortress. This poppies installation will resemble a ‘wound’ at the heart of the Tower, which was itself bombed during the Blitz and still bears some of those scars today.  It will mark and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many during the Second World War.
• Scotland Salutes VE80 concert will take place at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

Wednesday 7 May:

• On the evening of 7 May 1945, a newsflash announced that the following day would be Victory in Europe Day. To commemorate this important moment in the nation’s history, the Parliament Choir will host a Victory in Europe Day Anniversary Concert in the famous Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster.
• At a special VE Day event at IWM North, jointly produced by IWM and the National Theatre, some of the letters that the public submit will become part of a performance along with high profile public figures sharing letters from the IWM collection and excerpts from ‘The Next Morning’.
• A National Service of Remembrance will be held at Llandaff Cathedral.

Thursday 8 May:

• A service will take place at Westminster Abbey that will be both an act of shared remembrance and a celebration of the end of the war. It will be a moment to give thanks and to honour a generation that showed extraordinary courage and resilience.
• The events will conclude with a concert at the historic Horseguards Parade to finish the VE Day 80 commemorations in a celebratory tone, echoing how the nation reacted to the news 80 years before. With more than 10,000 members of the public in attendance, the concert will feature stars of stage and screen including John Newman and Dames Joan Collins, Mary Berry, and Sheila Hancock as well as military musicians and tell the story of victory and the legacy of the Second World War in Europe.

Services of remembrance and community celebrations will take place across Northern Ireland throughout the week. The Government has launched Tip Top Towns, a programme to encourage communities across the country – whether towns, villages or cities – to get together with their communities ahead of 5 May when the nation will come together for street parties to celebrate VE Day. Members of the public are encouraged to get in the VE Day spirit by making their own decorations, planting flowers, encouraging children to draw pictures for their windows or hosting arts and craft sessions.

Full list of buildings being lit up:

London:

Houses of Parliament, London

Elizabeth Tower, London

Buckingham Palace, London

10 Downing Street, London

Battersea Power Station, London

Tower 42 (Natwest Building), London

Millenium Bridge, London

The Shard, London

Tower of London, London

St Paul’s Cathedral, London

London Eye, London

Canary Wharf 1 Canada Square, London

National Theatre, London

British Film Institute, London

The Cenotaph, London

HMS Belfast, London

IWM London, London

BFI IMAX, London

BFI Southbank, London

London Bridge, London

Cannon Street Railway Bridge, London

Southwark Bridge, London

Waterloo Bridge, London

Golden Jubilee Footbridges, London

Westminster Bridge, London

Lambeth Bridge, London

Blackfriars Bridge, London

102 Petty France, London

The National Archives, London

120 Fenchurch Street, London

Twickenham/Aviva Stadium, London

North West England:

IWM North, Salford

Liverpool’s Royal Liver Building, Liverpool

Manchester Printworks, Manchester

The Royal Exchange, Manchester

Lowther Castle, Cumbria

Blackpool seafront & tower, Blackpool

Rivington Pike, Chorley

Chorley Town hall, Chorley

North East England:

Durham Cathedral, Durham

Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Newcastle

Glasshouse International Centre, Newcastle

Municipal Buildings, Middlesborough

Town Hall, Middlesborough

Town Hall Clock Tower, Middlesborough

Central Library, Middlesborough

Bottle of Notes, Middlesborough

St Hilda’s Bell structure, Middlesborough

Zetland Car Park, Middlesborough

The Issac Wilson pub, Middlesborough

Dorman Museum, Middlesborough

 South East England:

The Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth

Rochester Cathedral, Rochester

Brighton Royal Pavillion, Brighton

South West England:

Runnymede Air Force Memorial, Surrey

County Hall, Dorset

Aerospace Bristol, Bristol

The Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare

East England:

St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Suffolk

West Midlands:

Birmingham Central Library, Birmingham

Tamworth Castle, Staffordshire

Kings Heath (trees), Birmingham

National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire

East Midlands:

Derwent Dam, Peak District

Scotland:

The Kelpies, Falkirk

The Falkirk Wheel, Falkirk

Perth Bridge, Perth

Hamilton House, Lanarkshire

City Chambers, Edinburgh

St Paul’s Church, Perth

Northern Ireland:

Belfast City Hall, Belfast

Titanic Museum, Belfast

Enniskillen Castle, Enniskillen

Strule Arts Centre, Omagh

Parliament Buildings

 Wales:

Welsh Government Building in Cathays Park, Cardiff

Welsh Parliament ( Senedd Cymru) in Cardiff Bay

Cardiff Castle, Cardiff

Castell Coch, Cardiff

Caernarfon Castle, Caernarfon

Channel Islands:

Castle Cornet, Guernsey

Fort Grey, Guernsey

Beau Sejour Leisure, Guernsey

The press release issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 2 May 2025.

• UK’s arts and culture, creative industries, tourism and sport sectors are set to benefit from a major new cooperation agreement with India
• Culture Secretary leading a delegation of cultural leaders and UK institutions to Mumbai and New Delhi this week
• Agreement to boost collaboration between British and Indian creative businesses and cultural institutions, delivering on Plan for Change to drive growth and opportunity

The UK’s arts and culture, creative industries, tourism and sport sectors are set to benefit from a major new cooperation deal and economic links with India, as the government delivers on its Plan for Change to boost growth and opportunity.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who is of Indian heritage, arrived on Thursday for a three-day visit to Mumbai and New Delhi. She has today (Friday) signed a new bilateral Cultural Cooperation Agreement with India’s Minister for Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. She has been joined on the trip by a delegation of senior leaders from VisitBritain, the British Film Institute and the Science Museum, to drive further collaboration between British and Indian creative businesses and cultural institutions.

The agreement will open the door for increased UK creative exports to India and enable more partnerships between UK and Indian museums and cultural institutions, helping to grow UK soft power.

On Thursday the Culture Secretary delivered a keynote speech at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai, which was also attended by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. Her speech celebrated the living bridge that connects the UK and India, and showcased the strength and attractiveness of the UK’s creative industries, one of the growth-driving sectors identified in the UK government’s Industrial Strategy.

The Culture Secretary then toured Yash Raj Films Studio, where some of the most popular Bollywood films with audiences in the UK are made. Both the UK and India boast rich cinematic traditions and share a deep mutual interest in each other’s storytelling cultures, and the Culture Secretary wants to see more collaboration between UK and Indian film productions.

UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy said:

In the arts and creative industries, Britain and India lead the world and I look forward to this agreement opening up fresh opportunities for collaboration, innovation and economic growth for our artists, cultural institutions and creative businesses.

Growing up as a mixed race child with proud Indian heritage, I saw first hand how the UK’s culture – from food, fashion and film to music, sport and literature – is enriched by the unique contribution of the Indian diaspora. It has given me a deep connection to India’s culture and people and it is an honour to be visiting this magnificent country to forge a closer cultural partnership.

During the visit:

• This evening the Culture Secretary will attend a marquee event at the British Council in Delhi, where she will preview performances from India’s Serendipity Arts Festival which is due to hold a mini festival in Birmingham in May and a large-scale event in London next year.
• At the same reception, Visit Britain CEO Patricia Yates will launch the Starring GREAT Britain campaign in India, which will draw upon film and TV locations as a driver for inward tourism to the UK.
• In the Okhla neighbourhood of Delhi, she will tour boutique fashion houses and workshops and meet a range of Indian fashion designers with UK links.
• Earlier today the Culture Secretary met female cricketers at the Sharad Pawar Sports Club, ahead of India hosting the Women’s Cricket World Cup in October 2025. On Saturday she will meet football coaches involved in the Premier League Primary Stars programme in India, a partnership between the Premier League and the British Council to improve physical and sports education in primary schools. Earlier this week the Premier League announced it was opening a new office in Mumbai.
• As well as her meetings with the Minister for Culture and senior Indian government ministers, the Culture Secretary is also expected to meet with significant Indian investors and business leaders.

Actor and writer Sanjeev Bhaskar said:

The creative industries are a powerful, enjoyable way to bring people together so I hope this visit further solidifies a mutual appreciation not just of the long established arts of both countries but also the evolving areas of film, music and theatre that are successfully combining artistic traditions from India and the UK to explore and cement what is a unique relationship.

Film director Gurinder Chadha said:

As a filmmaker who has spent my career celebrating being British Punjabi and honouring the connections between Britain and India, it is great to see our cultural bonds further strengthened through this new agreement from my friend and colleague Lisa Nandy.

Now we have a real opportunity to unlock exciting new creative opportunities for artists and storytellers to the benefit of both our countries.

ENDS

UK-India Programme of Cultural Cooperation Agreement

• The Culture Secretary and Minister for Culture are expected to formally sign the UK-India Programme of Cultural Cooperation. The two nations will commit to enhancing cultural exchange between the UK and India through the arts and heritage, and to encourage long-term partnerships between UK and Indian businesses and cultural institutions.
• Implementation will involve the British Council in India and the Indian Ministry of Culture, with participation from major UK cultural institutions including Arts Council England, the British Library, the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum Group and the V&A Museum. This has the potential for British museums to launch new partnerships on exhibitions or public programmes that engage the Indian diaspora in the UK.
• The UK will work with India to support best practice and expertise on heritage conservation, museum management and digitisation of collections – including making knowledge contained in South Asian manuscripts more widely accessible, and the protection of cultural property, with both nations committing to combat illicit trafficking of cultural artifacts.

Further quotes:

Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum Group, said:

This commitment from the British and Indian Governments to deeper cultural cooperation will further strengthen our relationships with Indian cultural and scientific organisations, helping the Science Museum Group to share ever more fascinating stories of scientific discovery with audiences in both the UK and India.

Visitors to Science City in Kolkata can explore our Injecting Hope exhibition – which delves into the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines and was created in partnership with India’s National Council of Science Museums – now on display as part of an international tour that has inspired nearly five million visitors in museums across India, China and the UK.”

Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, said:

The V&A is delighted to contribute to the new UK-India cultural partnership. It will increase our ability to loan more objects from our world-class collection, and build strategic relationships with the booming Indian arts scene across design, fashion, photography, and performance.

Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the British Museum, said:

The British Museum’s collaboration with partner museums across India are some of our deepest and most successful. For example, in Mumbai, we have a groundbreaking partnership with the CSMVS Museum – one of India’s biggest – which is based around the reciprocal exchange of objects, knowledge, and ideas.

I’m delighted that the UK-India Cultural Cooperation Agreement recognises, at the highest level, the importance of cultural collaboration between our two countries and we look forward to strengthening these partnerships further.”

Director of the Natural History Museum Doug Gurr said:

India is clearly a nation of talented, passionate and prolific wildlife photographers! Indian photographers have consistently been well-represented in our prestigious photography competition Wildlife Photography of the Year – and this year we had a record-breaking number of over 300 entrees from India, an increase of 79 per cent!

It has been our honour to share the awe-inspiring images of our Indian alumni to millions of people worldwide and we have had the pleasure of collaborating with Dhritiman Mukherjee, Ripan Biswas and Nayan Khanolkar to deliver conservation photography workshops for young people in Kolkata. We are thrilled that our connection continues at the Visual Poetries Photography Festival in Gujarat this summer, with our Competition Manager joining their jury and our Wildlife Photography of the Year Highlights on display throughout.

Rebecca Lawrence, Chief Executive of the British Library, said:

The British Library has a long history of successful collaboration with our peers in India, including on the landmark ‘Two Centuries of Indian Print’ project and through our Endangered Archives Programme.

We warmly welcome this agreement which will provide opportunities to further deepen our partnerships, exchange valuable professional skills and insights, and strengthen our shared networks of knowledge and culture.

More information:

• VisitBritain forecasts a record 766,000 visits from India to the UK in 2025, up 7 percent on 2024, with travellers spending £1 billion – a 12 per cent year-on-year growth.
• The BPI has reported that British music exports to India experienced a significant 26.3 percent increase in revenue. This moves India into the top 20 biggest overseas territories for UK recorded music, and there have recently been tours by major British acts including Coldplay in January and Ed Sheeran in February.

The press release issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 2 May 2025.

The Secretary of State has appointed Jude Kelly and Janet Pope as Non-Executive Board Members for terms of three years from 23 April 2025 to 22 April 2028.

Jude Kelly

Jude Kelly CBE is an internationally acclaimed creative leader who has founded and steered some of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions, arts festivals, charities, and outreach programmes. A pioneer for social progress, Jude is renowned for championing inclusion, gender equality and diversity. She is the former Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre , founder Artistic Director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse ( now Leeds Playhouse) and the Founder and current Head of Global Advisory of WOW – Women of the World which runs festivals and programmes in  many parts of the UK including Bradford, Durham, Hull, Manchester Rotherham and internationally in 26 countries . Jude has directed over 200 theatre and opera productions, led the Culture programme for the London Olympic and Paralympic 2012 bid and was  a Cultural Leader in Residence for the World Economic Forum 2024. She is the eighth Master of St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, a Board member of Creative UK and cultural adviser to The Eden Project. She is the inaugural Chair of One Creative North.

Janet Pope

Janet Pope is currently Chair of the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Bank and Environment and Social Purpose Committee Chair at Yorkshire Building Society. She is also a Trustee at StepChange, the debt advisory charity. Janet recently retired from her role as Chief of Staff and Chief Sustainability Officer at Lloyds Banking Group where she was a Group Director for more than ten years and previously Savings Director.  Her earlier roles include CEO Alliance Trust Savings, EVP Strategy at Visa and Retail Banking Director (Africa) at Standard Chartered Bank. Janet’s previous non-executive roles include board roles at the Banking Standards Board and government audit committee roles at DCLG and ODPM. Janet read Economics at the LSE and holds an MSc Economics and MBA from London University.

As well as sitting on the Departmental Board, Janet has been appointed to chair the Department’s Audit and Risk Committee.

Remuneration and Governance Code

These roles receive an annual remuneration of £15,000 per annum (£20,000 for Audit and Risk role). These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments.

The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election.

Jude Kelly has declared that she is a member of The Labour Party and canvassed on their behalf at the last general election.  Janet Pope has declared that she was a Labour  Councillor for the London Borough of Camden from 1986-1990, Chair of Camden Town with Primrose Hill Branch of Holborn & St Pancras Labour Party 2021-2023 and from 2024 she is currently Treasurer of Camden Central branch Holborn & St Pancras Labour Party 2024

DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 42 Public Bodies (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations) including Arts Council England, Theatres Trust, the National Gallery, UK Sport and the Gambling Commission. DCMS is committed to ensuring that the boards of public bodies benefit from a range of talents, backgrounds, and perspectives, and welcome applications from across the country. To find out more about Public Appointments or to apply for a role visit the HM Government Public Appointments Website.