Next week, Rutland will be joining the nation in a country-wide beacon lighting event to mark D-Day.

Towns, cities and villages across the country will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings by lighting beacons, representative of peace and the beginning of the end of the second world war.

D-Day is a common name for the Normandy landings, the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II.

Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it is the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of France, and the rest of Western Europe, and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.

Oakham will be taking part in the national beacon lighting of peace to commemorate 80 years since the historic victory on Thursday 6 June at 9:15pm.

Prior to the lighting, which is set to take place in Cutts Close, there will be a concert at All Saints Church from 7pm, at which Rutland Concert Band will be playing music of the era.

These are free events and all are welcome.

Residents are encouraged to bring spare change, as donations to the Royal British Legion will be collected on the night.

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