A tree planting ceremony was held in Peasedown St John to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and to observe International Holocaust Memorial Day.

An oak tree was planted in Jubilee Park by Cllr Karen Walker, chairwoman of Bath and North East Somerset and local councillor for Peasedown St John, to coincide with International Holocaust Memorial Day.

Cllr Karen Walker (Independent) said: “Coming together each year to mark Holocaust Memorial Day is key to ensuring we never forget the events of the past and can learn from them to create a better future. Thank you to everyone who took part this year.

“In remembering the Holocaust, we honour the strength and resilience of those who survived and pay tribute to those who did not. Let us use International Holocaust Memorial Day as a time to recommit ourselves to creating a more just and compassionate world for all people."

Cllr Karen Walker was joined by representatives from the Peasedown Community Trust and Sarah Bevan, the Patron of the Bath and North East Somerset Faith Foundation and daughter of a Holocaust survivor.

Sarah said: “We come together each year to remember and pay homage to those who were murdered during the Holocaust. Understanding the dreadful events of the 1930s and 1940s, we must do our utmost to continue to educate people about the horrors of the Holocaust under the Nazis – ensuring it never happens again.”

Peasedown St John’s tree planting ceremony was part of a series of events organised by the Bath and North East Somerset Faith Foundation across the district to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, aiming to foster remembrance and education about the atrocities of the Holocaust.

To learn more about the Bath & North East Somerset Faith Foundation and its work to promote remembrance and education, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BANESFaithFoundation/.