YOUNGSTERS from across the borough took the lead in remembering victims of the Holocaust this week.

The annual Holocaust Memorial Day service took place at Radcliffe Civic Suite last night, led by the Mayor of Bury, Cllr Stella Smith.

The event saw young people from local secondary schools and colleges, faith leaders, musicians and community members join together for an evening of poetry, drama and music, and to listen to readings from the accounts of people who lived through the Holocaust and other atrocities.

Cllr Smith said: "On HMD 2016, there is a clear call to action in the present: focusing on the contemporary relevance of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides, and considering our individual responsibilities not to be bystanders to hate crime and prejudice."

Holocaust Memorial Day is held every year on 27 January, the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. It remembers the victims of the Holocaust and of other genocides such as Darfur, Bosnia, Cambodia and Rwanda, and aims to tackle prejudice, discrimination and racism in the present day.

The theme for HMD 2016 is 'Don’t Stand By', encouraging people to build understanding, to unite in a common cause and reflect and remember together.

Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd was also among the guests last night.

He said: "The Holocaust saw humanity at its worst and showed the world just how dangerous an ideology can be; how quickly and easily people can turn on each other in the most terrible of ways.

“It’s important to remember what happened, how and why, so that the passage of time does not dull the full extent of what took place, and that we make sure that such atrocities are never allowed to happen again.

“Remembering the Holocaust should not just be viewed as an opportunity for Jewish people to remember their loved ones, it’s an important opportunity for us all – people across the world of all faiths and none – to remind ourselves not to let bigotry and fascism win over tolerance and equality.

“We mustn’t let fear cloud our humanity, nor let hatred destroy what unites us. For the victims of the Holocaust, let theirs be a legacy of peace.”

Cllr Mike Connolly, leader of Bury Council, was also joined by members of all parties in signing the Holocaust Memorial Day Statement of Commitment.