Buckingham to mark Holocaust Memorial Day with special service around memorial stone

The service will take place next Friday (27th January 2023) at 11am around Bourton Park’s Memorial Stone

The service is open to anyone who wishes to attend

Buckingham Town Council will be commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day with a special service which is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

The service will take place next Friday (27th January 2023) at 11am around Bourton Park’s Memorial Stone.

On Holocaust Memorial Day, the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust are remembered as well as the millions of people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups and in the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.

The ceremony will be hosted by the Deputy Town Mayor, Cllr Anja Schaefer, with readings from the community and local school children. The event will commence 11am at the eastern end of Bourton Park around the Holocaust Memorial Stone. Those planning to attend the event are reminded that car parking in Bourton Park is very limited and are asked to plan their trips in advance, walk or use public transport.

The memorial stone was installed in 2021 and is bedrock, sourced from Buckingham’s Brackley Road cemetery. It was transported, as a gesture to the community, by local firm Paragon Tool Hire. Buckingham Town Council employed local stonemason and master letter carver Louis Francis to engrave the Holocaust Memorial Day emblem and apply the wording to the stone.

Holocaust Memorial Day takes place every year on the 27th January. Across the UK iconic landmarks and buildings will be lighting up in purple and individuals will place candles in their windows to stand against prejudice and hatred. You can find more information about other ways to mark the forthcoming Holocaust Memorial Day on the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s official website.

Cllr Anja Schaefer, the Deputy Town Mayor said: “On this Holocaust Memorial Day we remember the millions of ordinary people who were murdered in one of the most brutal, most life-denying events in human history. We must keep their memories alive – for them and their descendants, and for ourselves. If you can, please join us for a moment of reflection at the Holocaust Memorial Stone on Friday 27th January 2023.”