Holocaust Memorial Day to be marked in Swindon

A gathering to mark Holocaust Memorial Day will be held at noon on Monday 27 January at the Friends Meeting House on Eastcott Hill.

It is expected to last one hour and will provide time for remembrance, reflection, readings, and hope. 

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp, and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia.

The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day this year is For a Better Future. 

Anyone, whether member of any of Swindon's many faith and community groups or as an individual with appropriate personal stories, thoughts, or readings, is welcome to speak or read at the gathering, and is asked to contact Matt Holland at 01793 771080 or [email protected] beforehand, or speak to him on the day. 

Following the hour together, there will be a chance to chat, for those who wish to, and to enjoy light refreshments, including snacks, sandwiches, and hot drinks, provided at the venue by kind Friends. 

Holocaust Memorial Day was first marked nationally in the UK in 2001, and is now established as an annual day of remembrance. Local authorities, faith and community groups, and individuals were asked to take a lead in developing local memorial events and appropriate activities. 

In Swindon, it was decided to mark this day and the town has done so every year of this century.

The date, 27 January, marks the day when the Auschwitz concentration camps were liberated in 1945. 

This day is also an opportunity to remember and reflect on numerous other human rights tragedies around the world, including persecution and wars, past and present, and aims to help raise awareness among people of all ages and backgrounds. 

Further information, and a more national perspective about Holocaust Memorial Day, can be found at www.hmd.org.uk