Wolverhampton Arts Centre will be working with two local groups, Wolverhampton Cultural Youth Board and residents from Bilston engaged through Gazebo’s Creative Hub, to co-design a public VE/VJ Day celebration event that honours Wolverhampton’s WW2 history and brings together different generations.

The project centres around the Arts Centre, formerly a Grammar school with a deep WW2 history. By spotlighting the building’s wartime role and linking it with local stories, such as Wolverhampton’s connections to RAF Cosford and the community-funded Spitfires, community voices will shape a uniquely Wolverhampton interpretation of wartime resilience and contemporary freedom.