PEOPLE of all ages gathered on:- Sunday, 25 January 2026, to take part in the annual:- 'Sefton Holocaust Memorial Service' and mourn millions of families who have been killed in genocides around the world.

The poignant event was held at Christ Church on Lord Street in Southport town centre hosted by Reverend Ben Dyer.

The theme for 2026 is:- ‘Bridging Generations.' Much was spoken about the vital role that schools have to play in educating children about the Holocaust.

A message was made that it is vital we never forget, even as Holocaust survivors gradually succumb to old age and reduce in number.

The service took place in the presence of:- Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside Peter Oliver OBE, Mayor of Sefton Cllr June Burns, Southport MP Patrick Hurley, Sefton Central MP Bill Esterson, Bootle MP Peter Dowd, Rabbi M. Perez, Michael braham DL, Holocaust Fellow of the Imperial War Museum Pauline Collier, Sefton Councillors, UNISON Branch Secretary Glen Williams, local faith leaders, Sefton CVS and the Sefton Faith Forum, plus children and students from local Schools and Colleges.

Southport MP Patrick Hurley said:- “81 years have passed since the liberation of Auschwitz. And yet, for the Jewish people and all those whose forefathers were murdered, the Holocaust is not something distant or abstract. It lives in memory, in family histories, in the spaces where lives should have unfolded but were taken away. We remember the 6 million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered during the Holocaust. We remember babies whose lives barely began, who might still have been alive today. Parents who tried to protect their children in unimaginable circumstances. Grandparents whose stories were never finished. We also remember that the Holocaust did not begin with camps or killing. It began with words. With prejudice. With the slow erosion of empathy, and the gradual normalisation of exclusion and hatred. Holocaust Memorial Day exists because remembrance matters.” 

Christ Church Vicar Reverend Ben Dyer said:- “We remember the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were killed during the Holocaust and the millions of others who were persecuted and killed through Nazi ideology. We remember not only the scale of the loss but the individual names behind the numbers - lives stolen, families destroyed, communities erased. We begin this service in quiet reflection. Honouring the past, mourning its horrors, and reviewing our shared responsibility to challenge hatred, prejudice and dehumanisation wherever they begin.” 

Sefton UNISON Branch Secretary Glen Wiliams said:- “The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘Bridging Generations’. Bridging Generations emphasises the importance of remembering the Holocaust and passing on its lessons to future generations. The theme Bridging Generations serves as a call to action, reminding us that the responsibility of remembrance does not end with the survivors of the Holocaust. It encourages everyone to engage actively with the past, to listen to the stories of survivors and to truly learn from their experiences. This theme highlights the crucial role of dialogue between generations to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and to ensure that the lessons learned are carried forward into the future.”

Michael Braham DL said:- “We remember the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered. To put that into perspective, that is two thirds of European Jewry. We remember the persecution of those who were physically disabled, as well as gay people, freemasons, members of the Roma, and also political opponents primarily communists, trades unionists and social democrats. Today we also remember the genocides in Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia and Darfur. 81 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, anti-Semitism has increased significantly in the United Kingdom and globally. At the same time, extremists on the right are stirring up Islamophobia. We entrust Holocaust Memorial Day 2026 to be an opportunity for people to come together, learn the lessons from the past, and take action to make a better future for all of us.”

Pauline Collier said:- “We have to be very careful and ensure that we keep memories of these genocides alive. How are we going to go on bridging the generations? There are fewer and fewer survivors of the Holocaust. Indeed Eva Schloss only died on 3 January. The theme itself sounds quite straight forward, something that we can all agree about and say how important it is. However, the young have other preoccupations and they get so much of their information from the digital world, which is sometimes unreliable. If younger generations do not learn from the lessons of history, the importance of countering evil, and the moral imperatives, they will be condemned to watch history repeat itself.” 

This was an inter faith service for all residents of Sefton and the surrounding areas, to commemorate the lives of those lost during the Nazi Holocaust and subsequent genocides.

Holocaust Memorial Day is a national day that takes place on:- 27 January 2026.

It sees people around the world commemorate the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust, and the millions more murdered under Nazi persecution. Prejudice still continues today within our communities and across the UK.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust is the charity established by the Government to promote and support Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) in the UK.

It helps to protect the legacy of the Holocaust against denial and distortion, and shape a future built on empathy, understanding and respect.

Organisers bring the nation together to remember persecutions of the past and stand against hatred and prejudice in the present.

The Holocaust Memorial Service was followed by a collection for local charities:- Alice’s WonderDance, Elsie’s Story, Bebe’s Hive and Southport Soup Kitchen. 

Learn more about the Holocaust please visit the Holocaust Education Trust's website.