VE Day's 80th anniversary celebrations could be the last big chance to thank Britain's Second World War heroes, the Royal British Legion has said.
The RBL has already announced a national programme of celebrations to commemorate the historic occasion - which kicked off just a few days ago at The Ritz hotel in London.
On Friday, six veterans who experienced the original "euphoric" celebrations in 1945 gathered for afternoon tea to share their memories.
Joyce Wilding, 100, from Surrey, was part of "Churchill's Secret Army", the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
She worked as a transmitter hut attendant at Thame Park in Oxfordshire, receiving messages from agents in occupied Europe.
On VE Day, she headed to London where the atmosphere was "joyous".
"We did a dance all down Piccadilly, then went to Buckingham Palace where we saw the King and Queen and Winston Churchill," she recalled.
"The Mall was absolutely jam-packed with people singing and dancing and cheering."
Ruth Bourne, 98, from High Barnet in north London, worked at Bletchley Park where codebreakers intercepted Nazi messages.
She was awarded the Legion d'honneur in 2018, France's highest military honour.
On VE Day, she saw the Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
"We all went absolutely crazy, shouting and cheering," she said. "There wasn't an empty lamppost, the soldiers were all up the lampposts."
"It was a great, euphoric feeling."
MORE ON BRITAIN'S WW2 HEROES:
Doreen Mills, 96, was just 11 when war broke out - and faced evacuation to Wales while her father served in the Army.
In the final years of the war, she worked in an ammunitions factory.
She vividly remembers VE Day celebrations in the capital.
"We went up to Piccadilly, we had a great night out there with the Yankees, dancing all night up there," she said.
"We had a lovely time. We've talked about it ever since."
The Royal British Legion is set to host an anniversary tea party and service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on the day itself.
This will bring together the largest gathering of Second World War veterans on VE Day - Thursday, May 8.
The charity will also host VE Day tea parties through its branches and members across the UK.
These events aim to honour the veterans and provide an opportunity for communities to participate in the commemorations.
Mark Atkinson, director general of the Royal British Legion, emphasised the significance of the anniversary.
"This is probably one of the last opportunities we’ve all got as a nation to thank these men and women for their service and to pay tribute to their courage.
"It feels an incredibly poignant time 80 years on just to stop and pause and thank people.
"We're in touch with more than 100 Second World War veterans, and we'll be supporting them to get involved if they can.
"There are so few of those Second World War veterans left, hence it feels such a special time to pull them together, to hear their stories, to reunite them and to pay respect for everything they've done."
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The RBL has already announced a national programme of celebrations to commemorate the historic occasion - which kicked off just a few days ago at The Ritz hotel in London.
On Friday, six veterans who experienced the original "euphoric" celebrations in 1945 gathered for afternoon tea to share their memories.
Joyce Wilding, 100, from Surrey, was part of "Churchill's Secret Army", the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
She worked as a transmitter hut attendant at Thame Park in Oxfordshire, receiving messages from agents in occupied Europe.
On VE Day, she headed to London where the atmosphere was "joyous".
"We did a dance all down Piccadilly, then went to Buckingham Palace where we saw the King and Queen and Winston Churchill," she recalled.
"The Mall was absolutely jam-packed with people singing and dancing and cheering."
Ruth Bourne, 98, from High Barnet in north London, worked at Bletchley Park where codebreakers intercepted Nazi messages.
She was awarded the Legion d'honneur in 2018, France's highest military honour.
On VE Day, she saw the Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
"We all went absolutely crazy, shouting and cheering," she said. "There wasn't an empty lamppost, the soldiers were all up the lampposts."
"It was a great, euphoric feeling."
MORE ON BRITAIN'S WW2 HEROES:
- Children invited to connect with World War Two veterans ahead of VE Day 80th anniversary - how to get involved
- 'It's very moving' Heartfelt moment WW2 veteran is surprised with a party for his 100th birthday
- WATCH: World War Two veteran visibly moved as he turns 100 years old live on GB News
Doreen Mills, 96, was just 11 when war broke out - and faced evacuation to Wales while her father served in the Army.
In the final years of the war, she worked in an ammunitions factory.
She vividly remembers VE Day celebrations in the capital.
"We went up to Piccadilly, we had a great night out there with the Yankees, dancing all night up there," she said.
"We had a lovely time. We've talked about it ever since."
The Royal British Legion is set to host an anniversary tea party and service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on the day itself.
This will bring together the largest gathering of Second World War veterans on VE Day - Thursday, May 8.
The charity will also host VE Day tea parties through its branches and members across the UK.
These events aim to honour the veterans and provide an opportunity for communities to participate in the commemorations.
Mark Atkinson, director general of the Royal British Legion, emphasised the significance of the anniversary.
"This is probably one of the last opportunities we’ve all got as a nation to thank these men and women for their service and to pay tribute to their courage.
"It feels an incredibly poignant time 80 years on just to stop and pause and thank people.
"We're in touch with more than 100 Second World War veterans, and we'll be supporting them to get involved if they can.
"There are so few of those Second World War veterans left, hence it feels such a special time to pull them together, to hear their stories, to reunite them and to pay respect for everything they've done."
Find Out More...