Telford's Southwater to be lit up in purple for Holocaust Memorial Day
Telford & Wrekin Council is to hold a special civic ceremony and light up parts of the town to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
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The movement remembers the millions of people who were murdered in the Holocaust and in genocides around the world since.
It is held each year on January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau - the largest Nazi concentration camp.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Telford & Wrekin Council has announced that it will be holding a special civic ceremony at AFC Telford United at 10.30am next Monday to mark the day.
The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is 'for a better future'. The council said the event will include guest speakers who will share their experiences, plus a short pre-recorded testimony from Manfred Goldberg, who is a Second World War Holocaust survivor.
There will also be reflection from students at Burton Borough School on what it means to work towards ‘a better future’ before candle-lighting will take place as an act of remembrance.
The same evening, Southwater One in Telford will be lit in purple as a mark of remembrance, and residents across the borough have been invited to join in with the national 'light the darkness' candle-lighting at 8pm.
Households around the world will place a light in their windows to remember those who were killed.
Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for inclusion, engagement, equalities and civic pride, Councillor Raj Mehta, said: "Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity for the world to come together and reflect on the atrocities and millions of people murdered in the Holocaust and in subsequent genocides such as in Bosnia and elsewhere around the world.
"This year’s theme is 'a better future', so it’s a moment to think about what we can all do to make sure the horrors of the past are not repeated, and show that we stand together against intolerance and hatred, challenge prejudices and speak out against persecution."
The council said the Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony is open to all, but places are limited, and must be booked in advance. Visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/telford-and-wrekin-holocaust-memorial-day-commemoration-tickets-1151169993439.
The Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony will also be livestreamed on the council’s Facebook page.
