The community came together to remember the victims and survivors of the Holocaust on Sunday, January 25, at the Holocaust Memorial Day event.
Candles were lit to in memory of the 11 million victims and survivors shared their life stories.
The theme of this year’s event was Keeping The Memory Alive by remembering those who were killed and to honour the survivors.
Holocaust Memorial Day has been held annually in the UK since 2001, and gives people a chance to remember the victims and survivors.
Luton’s programme was supported by the Luton in Harmony campaign and led by MC, Maureen Drummond, Social Justice Advisor and the council.
Blogger Debra Barnes told her story about her family who survived the Holocaust, performances by Stopsley High School highlighting Holocaust survivor Hedy Klien and her memory book, and the Polish Community School in Luton and Dunstable presenting We Remember: Young People’s Voices.
Mayor of Luton, councillor Mohammed Farooq, said: “I would like to thank everyone for supporting the Holocaust Memorial Day event.
“Together we can keep the memories alive by reflecting on the past and honouring the survivors and victims of the Holocaust and other genocides.
“It also gives us the opportunity to bring communities together, to respect each other’s differences and also challenges us to use the lessons of their experiences to inform our lives today.”
Gavin Shuker MP gave the main address and guests were invited to write down their memories and post it into the memory box.
Music was provided by The Luton Male Voice Choir, they performed You’ll Never Walk Alone and a number of other songs.
The event was organised by the Holocaust Memorial Day planning group, chaired by Gerald Fox.
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust is the charity which promotes and supports Holocaust Memorial Day. For more information. visit www.hmd.org.uk