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This year's ceremony embraces the national theme "Bridging Generations", exploring how continued learning and understanding across age groups can help prevent history's darkest chapters from repeating.

The public event will feature a solemn candle lighting ceremony and addresses from senior Council leadership, alongside three powerful presentations that connect past atrocities to present-day understanding.

Cathy Landau, a member of the local Jewish community, will share reflections on the enduring importance of remembrance and the role it plays in fostering understanding and resilience across generations.

Gloria Silver will speak about the experiences of her father, Tony Chuwen, a Holocaust survivor whose testimony serves as a vital link between past and present. His story of survival and resilience continues to educate new generations about the human cost of hatred and prejudice.

Local schools will also participate, demonstrating how young people are actively bridging generations through their learning about the Holocaust and all genocides. Their presentations, based on their learning from the Council funded visits from Generation to Generation, a Holocaust education charity, will explore why understanding these historical tragedies remains crucial for building a more compassionate world and ensuring such atrocities are never repeated.

Cllr Paul Davis, Cabinet Member for Communities & Civic Pride, said: "Holocaust Memorial Day is a vital opportunity for our community to come together in remembrance and reflection.

“By listening to the powerful testimonies of those directly affected by the Holocaust and learning from our young people's commitment to understanding these difficult histories, we reaffirm our shared values of tolerance, respect, and human dignity.

“Bridging generations through education and remembrance is essential to ensuring we never forget the lessons of the past and that we actively work to build a more inclusive and compassionate society for all.

“The ceremony provides an opportunity for residents across Telford and Wrekin to stand together in remembrance, to honour the survivors and victims, and to reaffirm our collective responsibility to challenge prejudice and hatred in all its forms.”

Event details:

• Date: Tuesday 27 January 2026, 1pm arrival for a 1.30pm start
• Location: AFC Telford United
• Tickets: Free, booking required

To book your place at this important community event, click here.

The Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony will also be livestreamed on the Council’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TelfordWrekin

The same evening, Southwater One will also be lit in purple as a mark of remembrance, and residents across the Borough are invited to join in with the national ‘Light the Darkness’ candle-lighting moment at 8pm, as households around the world place a light in their windows to remember all those who were killed.

For more information about Holocaust Memorial Day and the national theme, visit www.holocaustmemorialday.org.uk