East Suffolk Council
Ceremony offers opportunity for reflection
Residents are invited to attend a wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.
On Friday 27 January, the Mayor of Lowestoft Cllr Nick Webb and Chairman of Waveney District Council Cllr Mark Bee, will lay a wreath at Lowestoft Railway Station in memory of those killed in the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.
Members of Waveney Youth Council will also lay a wreath on behalf of local young people. This will then be followed by a moment of reflection lead by Capt. Paul McDonaugh.
Cllr Nick Webb said:
“Holocaust Memorial Day provides us with an opportunity to remember the millions of people who died during the Holocaust and in genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. It also gives us the chance to learn from the past and educate our young people about the importance of tackling discrimination, racism and hatred to secure a safer future.”
Wreaths are laid at the station each year in recognition of the arrival of a ‘kindertransport’ train in December 1938, carrying over 200 Jewish children who had been evacuated from Nazi Europe. The children were billeted at a number of places including Pontins in Pakefield and St Felix School in Southwold.
The wreath-laying ceremony commences at 10.30am and is open to all.
A nationwide arts programme, Reflections on loss and living, will explore living with absence after the Holocaust and genocide, and the roots of life. The programme will feature a ‘Wall of Life’ and people are invited to upload their own artwork or photographs which reflect absence, cultural roots or life overcoming barriers.
For more information about Holocaust Memorial Day, please visit www.hmd.org.uk or follow the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust on Twitter.