Sunderland landmarks lit purple to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

Landmarks around Sunderland will be lit up purple and a virtual ceremony will be held to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.
The Northern Spire Bridge and other landmarks will be lit up purple in support of Holocaust Memorial Day.The Northern Spire Bridge and other landmarks will be lit up purple in support of Holocaust Memorial Day.
The Northern Spire Bridge and other landmarks will be lit up purple in support of Holocaust Memorial Day.

Iconic landmarks and buildings around the city will be lit purple and online events have been organised by Sunderland City Council to remember the victims of genocides worldwide for Holocaust Memorial Day on Wednesday, January 27.

The Northern Spire bridge, Penshaw Monument, Keel Square and the Beacon of Light are among Sunderland landmarks that will be lit up in the colour purple from dusk until dawn in honour of the event.

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The Sunderland InterFaith Forum and the University of Sunderland, have developed a video based around Holocaust Memorial Day’s theme of 'a light in the darkness', as an alternative to the annual service held at Sunderland Minster.

The memorial flame artwork made by Sunderland school children, commissioned and developed by Sunderland Libraries Services working with MBC Arts Wellbeing and local blacksmith Darren Witty from Norfolk Street Forge.The memorial flame artwork made by Sunderland school children, commissioned and developed by Sunderland Libraries Services working with MBC Arts Wellbeing and local blacksmith Darren Witty from Norfolk Street Forge.
The memorial flame artwork made by Sunderland school children, commissioned and developed by Sunderland Libraries Services working with MBC Arts Wellbeing and local blacksmith Darren Witty from Norfolk Street Forge.

And a virtual ceremony is being streamed by Holocaust Remembrance Day at 7pm on Wednesday, January 27 where households across the UK are being asked to light a candle and put it in their window.

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School children across Sunderland have made a memorial flame artwork of 75 coal-forged steel candle holders housed in a hollow steel frame spelling out the word 'FREI' - one of the words above the main gate at Auschwitz.

The display will be unveiled at the UK Ceremony for Holocaust Memorial Day in London tomorrow as part of a national art exhibition commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

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The exhibition which features children from Bexhill Academy, Lambton Primary School, Grangetown Primary and St Leonard's Primary Schools was due to be hosted in Sunderland in January but has been postponed due to Covid restrictions – the artwork is still available to view as an online event.

Cllr Linda Williams, Cabinet Member for Vibrant City said: "It’s so important that we remember the Holocaust, teaching future generations through history about what can happen when racism, tyranny and intolerance are allowed to be part of life without questioning.

"I'd ask everyone in Sunderland to help us commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, this year, and hope these events will help raise awareness and understanding of the 2021 theme – Light the Darkness."

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