Ceremony planned for Holocaust Memorial Day in Northampton

The event is in the courtyard at the Guildhall at noon on Wednesday, January 27 and will have the theme of Don’t Stand By.

This will be followed by an evening event from 6pm in the Great Hall. This will begin with a welcome from the Mayor of Northampton, Cllr Penny Flavell, followed by an introduction from Councillor Mary Markham, Leader of Northampton Borough Council. The programme will then be as follows:

•Tamil School, Association of Northamptonshire Supplementary Schools

•Simon Edens, Chief Constable Northamptonshire Police

•Sean Silver, Chair of Northamptonshire Rights and Equality Council

•One Good Deed’—Short Film, created by Reelscape, supported by Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire, School of Life and Northampton Borough Council’s Youth Forum

•‘Remembering Srebrenica’ , Father Timothy Curtis, of St Anne’s Orthodox Christian church, Northampton and Inspector Inam Khan

•‘I see Fire’ with music from Ed Sheeran and Schindlers List - Performance by Starlight Stage School

•Statements of Commitment and Candle lighting by the Tamil Supplementary School and Northampton Borough Council’s Youth Forum

•Memorial Prayers and blowing of the Shofar by John Josephs, Lay Reader Northampton Hebrew Congregation

•Two Minute Silence

Councillor Mary Markham said: “On Holocaust Memorial Day we can all honour the survivors as well as challenge ourselves to use the lessons of their experience to inform our lives today. Everyone is very welcome along to the Holocaust Memorial Day events at the Guildhall and it is important that we bring our communities together so we can remember all those who have suffered from hate or prejudice because of their faith, nationality or for any other reason to do with who they are.”

All of the events are open to everyone.