BBC commemorates 90th anniversary of Armistice at Newhaven Fort on Saturday 8th November.

The BBC has chosen Newhaven Fort in East Sussex to host a special BBC Remembrance & Family History Day to mark 90 years since the end of World War One.

The event, which is one of 15 free events that the BBC is holding nationally, is taking place at Newhaven Fort on Saturday 8th November, from 11am – 4pm.

The event is part of a BBC Learning campaign to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Armistice, 1918-2008: Ninety Years Of Remembrance, which will also feature BBC TV and Radio documentaries and dramas in the week leading up to 11 November 2008.
 
The event is free and open to everyone, and has a range of activities for all ages; from a WW1 Antiques Roadshow to help visitors find out about their wartime artefacts, to children’s activities for the younger visitors so they can learn more about the events of the Great War.

Eleanor Fell, the BBC Learning Project Manager organising the event said: “Newhaven Fort is the perfect venue for this event, it has history, atmosphere and so much to see and do. It will be a great day for young and old alike, with a chance to learn about their family’s WW1 stories and take part in our special Remembrance Concert.”

At the event visitors will have the opportunity to:
 
• Bring in their wartime artifacts and medals and find out more about them with BBC 1's Antiques Roadshow WW1 expert - Roy Butler.
• Upload family artefacts, old wartime photographs and memories to the BBC online ‘Remembrance Wall’ with the help of BBC volunteers.
• Visitors with children can pick up a Family Ration Pass and complete different tasks, such as morse code, trench bandaging and drill practice and even meet Sid from CBeebies.
• Find out more about the part played by their family and local area during the war by using the Ancestry website, which are waiving their charges for the month of November for people to search the remaining British Army WW1 Service and Pension records (otherwise only available by visiting National Archives in Kew) and the British Army WW1 Medal Rolls online.
• Take part in WW1 history tours round the Fort with wartime re-enactors.
• Join in the Remembrance Concert at 2pm with songs by Vivace! as featured on BBC's ‘Last Choir Standing’, and poems and banners from local school children.

The BBC is working with Newhaven Fort, local schools, community groups, cadet groups and the local Royal British Legion to contribute to the event.

Sidney Sloane (also known as Sid from CBeebies) will be broadcasting his Saturday afternoon show on BBC Southern Counties Radio live from the event.