The borough’s annual Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony will bring the community together to remember and pay respects to victims of genocide, oppression and torture.

On Friday, January 27, Holocaust Memorial Day, Blackburn with Darwen Council and the Blackburn with Darwen Interfaith Forum will jointly host the ceremony in the Council Chamber at Blackburn Town Hall.

With speakers from different faith communities and contributions from local secondary school pupils, the ceremony aims to share the message that we need to unite to reject hatred in all its forms.

Everyone at the event will remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution and in genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Derek Estill, secretary of the Blackburn with Darwen Interfaith Forum, is jointly organising the ceremony with council officers. He said: “Our Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration is always a very moving ceremony.

"We are very grateful to have Rabbi Arnold Saunders coming along to share his wisdom with us, and I’m looking forward to hearing from the young people from local schools as they share their own views on how ordinary people like them can be a force for good in the world and call out prejudice and hatred before it escalates.”

The theme of this year’s commemoration is ‘Ordinary People’ which aims to highlight how genocide is committed by ordinary people, against other ordinary people because of their faith and beliefs, and also how ordinary people have the collective power to stand up to prejudice and hatred.

Standing together at the tribute in Blackburn Town Hall on January 27, will be ordinary people of all ages from across our local community alongside school pupils, community leaders and interfaith representatives.

Pupils from eight local secondary schools will share their thoughts about Ordinary People, and Blackburn with Darwen Youth MP Muhammad Bapu will also speak at the event.

A video from the Holocaust Memorial Trust will also be shown, and Rabbi Arnold Saunders, a great friend of the borough who regularly contributes to local Holocaust Memorial Day activities, will give the keynote address.

At the end of the ceremony candles will be lit as a sign of peace and unity, and a one minute silence will be observed.

The Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony will be held between 10am and 11am on Friday, January 27 in Blackburn Town Hall, and is open to people of all faiths and no faith.

Anyone who would like to attend should contact the Council’s Corporate and Democratic Lead Phil Llewellyn on (01254) 585369 or phil.llewellyn@blackburn.gov.uk.