Wigan residents urged to attend the first full Holocaust Memorial Day events since the pandemic began

Both Leigh and Wigan’s town halls will be hosting moving ceremonies involving dignitaries and schoolchildren in memory of all victims of genocide – and this will be the first time they have been opened fully to the public since before the coronavirus pandemic began.

Two talented pupils from Bedford High School in Leigh were inspired to create portraits of the mother of one their fellow year 9 pupils – Tanya – along with her mother Zoia who hail from Ukraine.

Lauren McCarrick and Lara Asraf, 14, are in the second term of their GCSE art course under the expert guidance of Penny Walmsley.

For a number of years Miss Walmsley and HMD support volunteer Jean Hensey-Reynard have formed a successful colloboration seeing art and photgraphy work selected for national exhibitions as well as an online gallery of young people’swork which appears before the televised HMD ceremony on the January 27 each year.

And this year is no different with both girls’ pictures being submitted to the gallery and Lauren’s has now been confirmed as being among 30 from around the country which will be displayed.

Former teacher Jean, who has been involved in Holocaust Memorial Day for 20 years now, said: “Wigan and Leigh have always participated in HMD events and on several occasions our school participation has been held up as one of ‘good practice’ showcased in the form of HMD films which can still be found on their website.

"Last year we had no fewer than three pieces of work shown in the online gallery and one of the photographs was selected to be the cover for the 2022 In Review magazine which would be sent out globally to highlight the continuing goals and work of this charity in tackling genocide and persecution.”

The theme for the 2023 HMD Trust is “Ordinary People” and will consider how Ordinary People were involved in all aspects of the Holocaust, Nazi persecution and subsequent genocides.

Ordinary People were perpetraitors and bystanders, witnesses and rescuers so the HMD ceremonies to be held in the borough on Friday January 27 will reflect this theme through a variety of readings, reflections music, dance and drama performances as well as the solemn recitiation of “The Statement Of Commitment” concluding with the lighting of the memorial candle by the Mayor, Coun Marie Morgan.

For the (Extra) Ordinary Portraits Youth Competition being held by the Holocaust Memorial Trust, whose head judge is the celebrated photographer John Rankin, both Lauren and Lara decided not to focus on Holocaust Survivors from World War Two but rather focus on the most recent war which started last February when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Zoia had to leave behind her husband, brother and most her family when she escaped to Britain with her daughter.

Zoia said: “I still think about life before the war. My friends would host barbecues. I would take my daughter to pick mushrooms and go to the sea. We would watch movies together. We still watch movies together but it is not the same.

"Now we live in a new country. It is difficult: the language is a barrier, but we are adapting. We are learning English. We are safe”.

The National HMD ceremony featuring the gallery including Lauren’s picture will be at 7pm on Thursday January 26.

The first borough ceremony will be held in Leigh Town Hall between 11am and noon. The second ceremony is in Wigan Town Hall’s atrium starting at 2pm.