Wigan and Leigh remember victims of the Holocaust

Holocaust Memorial Day saw two solemn ceremonies take place at Wigan and Leigh town halls to mark it once again.

Former teacher Jean Hensey-Reynard has been joining forces with local schools since the start to organise the events.

Featured at both were a gallery of photographs taken by schoolchildren based on the subject One Day. Eminent adjudicators, including the photographer Rankin and Rwandan survivor and photographer Mussa Uwitonze, judged hundreds of entries from across the region which don’t just touch on the Holocaust but other traumatic episodes in history.

Locally the focus this year was the Kindertransport programme which evacuated thousands of Jewish children from occupied areas.

One of the pictures was taken by 13-year-old St John Fisher High pupil Agnes Robin which Jean describes as a “reverse of Kindertransport image” because it deals with Agnes’s mum leaving her behind in India to seek a better life in Britain then, once she had settled in Wigan, Agnes was able to join her.

That joyful reunion and seeing snow for the first time is encapsulated in the picture.

Atherton’s Sacred Heart Primary School pupils, with the author Catherine Bruton’s blessing, read extracts from her book No Ballet Shoes in Syria, and performed the song Firefly at Leigh while St John Fisher pupils performed songs and dance on a Kindertransport theme.

Leigh Paperback Writers gave readings at both ceremonies and Jean, who has been holding workshops about Kindertransport at the schools involved, compered.

Each ended with the ceremonial lighting of Jewish candles.

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