Holocaust Memorial Day Annual Service Cancelled

It is with great regret that Weymouth Town Council will be unable to hold this year’s annual service for Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January. The event would usually take place in Weymouth’s Radipole Park and Gardens but has unfortunately been cancelled due to the national lockdown.  

The memorial service is traditionally hosted by the Mayor of Weymouth Town Council. It takes place at the Holocaust Memorial tree, which was kindly donated to the Town Council’s Parks Department by local resident Tony Hamm.  

Prayers and a reading would be led by the Mayor’s Chaplin Rev Brian Ellis and joined by religious faith representatives from the local community. In previous years, the service has been very well supported by members of the public, local councillors and Friends of the Parks community groups.   

Holocaust Memorial Day is an annual day of remembrance to commemorate the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur and Tibet. It marks the day in 1945 when the Auschwitz–Birkenau extermination camp was liberated.   

The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is Be the light in the darkness. 

Cllr Graham Winter, Mayor of Weymouth Town Council, said:  

“It is again with great regret that the Town Council has to announce the cancellation of an important local service. The annual Holocaust service is a valuable opportunity for the community to come together and pay their respects to the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides.”

“I am proud that the council can host these events and join the international community in raising awareness for important commemorations, such as Holocaust Memorial Day. I deeply look forward to hosting these events again in the future.”