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Community News

Holocaust survivor shares lessons from history News in brief

Students at Isambard Community
School had the opportunity to Stem cell service
listen to the harrowing account
of 86-year-old Holocaust survivor given green light
Susan Pollack.
Students from year nine were The stem cell service at the
able to listen to her testimony as Great Western Hospital has
part of a visit organised by the been awarded an important
Holocaust Educational Trust, under international accreditation to
its outreach programme. provide stem cell transplants.
Susan was born Zsuzsanna Blau Without this patients would
on 9 September 1930 in Felsögöd, need to travel to Bristol or
Hungary. Oxford for treatment.
In late May 1944, Susan and her Susan Pollack shares her memories with Isambard Community School students Up to 20 patients a year, with
family were sent by cattle truck to blood cancers such as lymphoma
Auschwitz-Birkenau. Susan was survived. After the war, Susan lived was the darkest point in humanity’s and multiple myeloma, receive
separated from her mother who in Sweden before moving to Canada history and I live with it every day.” stem cell transplants at GWH.
she later learned had been sent where she met and married a fellow Natalie Chapman, teacher of This is the second time the
directly to the gas chambers. Susan survivor. Humanities at Isambard, said: hospital has received the
was selected to work and remained Today they have three children “It is a privilege for us to welcome accreditation which must be
at the camp for around 10 weeks and six grandchildren. Susan now Susan Pollack to our school and her renewed every four years,
before being sent to Gubbem in lives in London and regularly shares testimony will remain a powerful following an inspection by the
Germany to work as slave labour in her testimony in schools across the reminder of the horrors so many Joint Accreditation Committee.
an armaments factory. country. experienced. Protest over cuts
With the Allies advancing, the Speaking to a packed hall of “We are grateful to the Holocaust
prisoners were forced on a Death students who listened in rapt Educational Trust for co-ordinating Swindon library campaigners have
March to Bergen-Belsen. On 15 silence, she said: “It is important the visit and we hope that by submitted an official complaint
April 1945 Susan was liberated by to speak to you at your age, 14, hearing Susan’s testimony, it will to the department for Culture,
the British Army. because that is the age when these encourage our students to learn Media and Sport following the
After liberation, Susan learned terrible things happened to me from the lessons of the Holocaust Council’s cutting of funding to all
that her brother Laci was the only and my family. To this day I cannot and make a positive difference in but five of 15 Swindon libraries.
other member of her family to have understand why it happened. This their own lives.” Campaigners have made the
case that this cut to public library
New group campaign group launched to preserve Swindon’s heritage provision is in serious breach of
the legal duties of the Council
under the Public Libraries and
Museums Act 1964.
Hamlet rebooted

Local actor and videogame
enthusiast Edward Day is trying
to raise £3000 on crowdfunding
site Kickstarter for his new
project, Super Hamlet 64: Parody
DLC, a one person production of
Hamlet in the style of a computer
game. at Swindon’s Shoebox
Theatre on 27 May. Tickets are
£10.
L-R: Dr Mike Pringle and Graham Carter assessing the damage caused by fire at the Coate Water Agricultural The kickstarter campaign can be
Museum on New Years Eve found here: http://bit.ly/hamlet64

Following the announcement that The group are also actively “It’s really important to stress that Join male choir
parts of Swindon’s Health Hydro sharing updates on the progress of this is an ideal time for the Council Swindon Male Voice Choir are
could be converted into flats and works to save artefacts within the to tick all of the boxes and give looking for new members.
the loss of the Agricultural Museum Agricultural Museum, which was those who are passionate about Find out more by joining the
building at Coate Water due to a gutted by fire on 31 December 2016, Swindon’s heritage the chance to choir during their open rehearsal
fire over the festive period, a new which Wiltshire and Dorset Fire and embrace it and put it on show.” evening on February 20 or on any
group has been set up via social Rescue service have confirmed was Cllr Garry Perkins, Swindon Monday during school term at
media for local people concerned not due to arson. Borough Council’s Cabinet Member the New Century Club, Gorse Hill
about Swindon’s heritage. Dr Mike Pringle of the Richard for the Economy, Regeneration from 7.30pm. Call Gordie Smith
Set up by Sally Hawson on Jeffries museum, situated close and Skills, said: “We are more than 01793 822495.
Facebook, the Save Swindon’s to the site of the fire, said: “It’s happy to work with Mike and his
Heritage group has begun a petition tragic and heartbreaking but I’ve team at Richard Jefferies to get See Adam Henson
via Change.org to save the Health been trying to get artefacts out on these items on show, and I want to BBC’s Countryfile presenter Adam
Hydro on Milton Road from plans by display at Richard Jefferies from see these on public display. There is Henson, will be sharing stories
GLL to turn sections of the building the Agricultural museum for years. a possibility we could show some at about his TV career when he
into housing, which has already We’d happily display any of those Lydiard, but we need to go through appears at the Wyvern Theatre on
surpassed 650 signatures in January items, but now we will have to pick everything and catalogue what is 14 September.
alone. through what remains. available.” To book call 01793 524481.
10 swindonlink.com n February 2017

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