A MEMORIAL service in recognition of Holocaust Memorial Day will be taking place in Weymouth this month.

The service will be held in the Princess Diana Gardens on Radipole Park Drive on Friday, January 27.

The service will begin at 10.00am at the Holocaust memorial tree, planted near to Alexandra Bridge and donated by local resident Tony Hamm.

The memorial service will be hosted by Mayor of Weymouth and Portland, Cllr Richard Kosior with prayers and a reading being led by the Mayor’s Chaplin, Reverend Philip Elliott of West Ridgeway Churches and joined by religious faith representatives from the local community.

All members of the public are also welcome to attend.

Holocaust Memorial Day is the annual day of remembrance for the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur and Tibet. It marks the day in 1945 when the Auschwitz–Birkenau extermination camp was liberated.

The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day this year is ‘How can life go on?’

Cllr Richard Kosior, Mayor of Weymouth and Portland, said: “This significant annual service is a chance for the local community to come together and pay their respects to the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides.”

As well as the service, a Holocaust Memorial Day display will be on show at Weymouth Library from Monday, January 23 to Monday, January 30.

The display has been set up by Barbara Cohen of the South West Dorset Multicultural Network and friends.

The South West Dorset Multicultural Network have also organised a free event on Friday, January 27 at the Corn Exchange in Dorchester from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. There will be a range of speakers including Harry Grenville – a local resident who escaped Nazi persecution by coming to the UK as part of the Kindertransport initiative.

The event also includes displays and readings from local schools, presentations and a reading of the poem ‘Birdsong’, written by Gillian Clarke and read by a member of the South West Dorset Multicultural Network.

Cllr Alan Thacker, West Dorset District Council’s portfolio holder for community safety and access, said: “This event gives a personal point of view on the terrible experiences of that time. Facilitating sessions such as this gives a great opportunity to learn more about this historic time.”

For more information about the Dorchester event, please contact Susan Ward-Rice on 01305 252423 or SWard-Rice@dorset.gov.uk

For more information about Holocaust Memorial Day visit hmd.org.uk