Charnwood will mark 80 years since D-Day with a special beacon lighting event at Queen’s Park in Loughborough.

The event will take place on Thursday, June 6 with information stalls and activities taking place from 7.30pm with the lighting of the beacon around 9.15pm.

A competition to find a local resident with a military background or a connection to D-Day has been ran by Charnwood Borough Council with the selected entrant being announced next week. The beacon located in Queen’s Park will be one of thousands up and down the country lit to mark 80 years since the Allied invasion during the Second World War.

Mayor of Charnwood, Councillor Dr Julie Bradshaw MBE, said:

“I look forward to the beacon lighting to mark 80 years since D-Day and seeing residents and visitors in Queen’s Park. Charnwood has a rich military history and it is important that we mark this anniversary and pay tribute to those who lost their lives during the Allied invasion in 1944.”

A number of information stalls including Culture Leicestershire, Sea Cadets and Loughborough Library Local Studies Group will be in Queen’s Park from 7.30pm with refreshments also available at Queen’s Park Café which will remain open during the event.

The Granby Street gate to the park will remain open throughout the event to allow people to exit following the beacon lighting. All other entrances to Queen’s Park will close at 9pm.

Beacon lightings and events to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day will also be taking place in Mountsorrel and Syston.

The last beacon lighting to take place in Queen’s Park was in June 2022 to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.