Warwick and the surrounding areas will be marking Holocaust Memorial Day at an event on Friday 26 January with poetry, readings, and more in-school projects than ever before.

This is the day before the national event on Saturday 27 January, to allow local school children to be fully involved. 

The Friday street event will be a special short service of remembrance led by the Mayor of Warwick and others at Warwick War Memorial in Church Street at 11.30am.

Sixth form student Henrietta Jefferies from King's High will read a poem that she has written herself addressing this year's theme which is the Fragility of Freedom.

There will be more readings by pupils from Myton School and Warwick School.

Aylesford School pupils will talk about their involvement in the 'Lessons from Auschwitz' project organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust.

Children from other Warwick schools including Coten End School, Budbrooke and Evergreen school will be coming to the street event in the morning, joining the MP for Warwick and Leamington, Matt Western, the Mayor of Warwick, Cllr Oliver Jacques and other civic leaders from the wider area for the short act of remembrance at 11.30am. 

Organiser, Dave Sternberg said: "We are proud that this annual Warwick event has continuing strong support from the local primary and secondary schools.

"It is important that we remember and learn from the terrible events of the past, and never forget the Holocaust and other genocides of the past century.

"We mark and remember genocides such as those in Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia and Darfur.

"Talking to the younger generations about the horrors of the past and the terrible things we humans can do to each other if we are not vigilant helps to ensure that we are always respectful and kind to others."

Other events marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz will be a talks and assemblies in the schools.

Several primary schools are due to have a special Year Six assembly with a visiting speaker on the 'Kindertransport', which was when the UK managed to get 10,000 Jewish children out of Germany and Austria just before the outbreak of war.

This amazing story is the subject of the blockbuster film "One Day" which is currently showing in local cinemas.

At the Visitor Information Centre in the Court House, Jury Street, Warwick, there will be a small exhibition to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day during the week starting January 23.