Kettering honours Holocaust Memorial Day with service at Manor House Gardens

Holocaust Memorial Day takes place every year on January 27, paying tribute to those affected by holocausts around the world.

In Kettering, people gathered in Manor House Gardens in Sheep Street where a flag was raised, prayers were read and a candle was lit in remembrance of those who paid the ultimate price.

At the service, Kettering mayor Ben Jameson said: “We come to our act of memorial for those who died in the Jewish Holocaust and who have been victims of genocide in conflicts around the world including very recently.

"This is a time for everyone to pause to remember the millions of people who have been murdered, or whose lives have been changed beyond recognition during the persecution and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda and Bosnia, together with recent atrocities and killings in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza.

"Through this moment, we can honour the survivors of these regimes and challenge ourselves to use the lessons of their experience to inform our lives today."

After speeches from Cllr Jameson, the Rev Angie Milne and Russell Attwood of the Kettering Baha’i community, attendees of the service at 2pm were invited to lay a pebble at the base of the fountain in the gardens in memory of the victims.

Then, Latimer Arts College student, Konstantina Memou, read out a poem, written by Iolo Lewis, who served in the British 11th Armoured Division, which liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. This was followed by a speech written by German pastor, Martin Niemoller, read by mayor’s cadet, Carys Toms.

Other memorials took place around the county in recent days, including a service in Rushden and Corby today, and another in Wellingborough on Sunday (January 25).