A WEEKEND of commemoration and celebration has been planned in Weymouth to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day.

On Saturday and Sunday, June 6 and 7, Weymouth seafront, the Pavilion theatre and the Nothe Fort will host a number of family events bringing to life the D-Day spirit.

All the family is invited to attend a D-Day Picnic in the Park in the Nothe Gardens on Saturday, June 6, from 2pm to 6pm. There will be displays of military vehicles, stalls, games including a Ration Book Trail and live music from folk group Bag of Rats.

The Nothe Fort will also be hosting two days of nostalgic events and activities including a proms concert and plenty of historical re-enactments such as a field hospital, bomb disposal and mine detection display and radio communications.

The ever-popular Matchstick Fleet will be on display and visitors will have the chance to ‘dig for victory’, have a look at military vehicles, try cooking with wartime rations and much more.

Jane Chandler from the Nothe Fort said: “We want this to be very much a family event. There will be displays and demonstrations for older people more interested in the historical point of view and then plenty of hands-on things for children. They will be able to write their name in Morse code – and then try and translate it, have a bash on ancient typewriters and lots more.

“One of the big highlights of the weekend will be the Saturday evening Proms in the Fort with the famous Light Calvary Band.

This promises to be a memorable evening ending with flag waving, fireworks and a spectacular surprise. We hope people will come along, hopefully in fancy dress, and make the most of this historic weekend.”

She added: “Although the veterans are getting fewer and fewer I think there is still a lot of feeling for this period of time.

“This is particularly true at the current time of economic crisis when people are pulling their horns in – it is in some ways similar to wartime when people had to make do with less. People did survive and there was more of a feeling of camaraderie and helping people than there is now. It is very important that people learn to care for each other again.”

Tickets for the Nothe Fort Proms Concert can be purchased from Weymouth Tourist Information Centre priced £10 for adults and £7 for child.

For further information on the 65th anniversary weekend visit visitweymouth.co.uk or phone 01305 785747.

n Weymouth’s D-Day anniversary weekend will be preceded on the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31 at the Nothe Fort by a series of displays by Canadian paratrooper re-enactors, who also took part in the Normandy landings.

The 2009 Armed Forces Day Celebrations will also take place in Weymouth and Portland between Saturday and Friday, June 13 to 19, with a Service of Remembrance and Parade on Sunday, June 14.