VICTIMS of the Nazi death camps have been remembered at poignant events across the North-East as part of Holocaust Memorial Day.

This year, the annual commemoration coincides with the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Allied forces.

A play about the life of Anne Frank was staged at the Hermitage Academy in Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

It was directed by 19-year-old student Michaela Crawley, who hopes to become a history teacher.

Teachers and sixth formers, who visited the notorious extermination camp in Poland last year with the Holocaust Educational Trust, also addressed youngsters, along with Councillor Simon Henig, whose grandparents were German Jews who escaped the horror of Hitler’s Germany.

Headteacher Jim Murray said: “It was really moving to be told from the perspective of the grandchild. It was quite exceptional for them to listen to. It was a brilliant opportunity.”

The day included the poignant lighting of a candle designed by renowned sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor and the school, which is a beacon for Holocaust education, was one of 70 to be chosen to host a candle.

Mr Murray said: “The day has had quite a profound impact. The kids have been engrossed with all of the different inputs. They were intensely moved and very reflective.”

In Redcar, the borough’s mayor, Councillor Carole Simms, was joined by civic dignitaries and children to mark the memorial day at the town’s Garden of Remembrance.

The children planted a tree to mark the occasion while the Reverend Bruce Harrison led the prayers as well as finishing the small ceremony with a Statement of Commitment.

The tree will be a memorial to everyone that lost their lives in the Holocaust and also the genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Cllr Simms said: “It is important that we mark Holocaust Memorial Day not just within the borough, but worldwide to keep informing the next generations that we remember the atrocities that were committed and ensure that we never allow anyone to repeat them again.”

HAUNTING violins echoed around Central Hall, in Darlington, as school children gathered to shared the stories of those affected by genocide.

Speakers at the town's annual Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations were urged to remember the stories of those who suffered.

A moving speech from Peter Freitag, chairman of Darlington’s Interfaith Forum, saw him recall his experiences as a child growing up in wartime Czechoslovakia.

He said: “I grew up in an atmosphere of fear, wondering when goose-stepping soldiers would stop at my door.

“We had people telling us we were less than human and it was a very difficult atmosphere to survive in.

“My father was in England and knew what was going on – he told my mother to pack everything and get us out of there.

“She said she couldn’t, she had a chicken cooking and people coming over – when we did eventually get on the train, it was stopped several times for the Gestapo to pull people off.

“We reached the white cliffs of Dover and the freedom which I have enjoyed in Darlington ever since.”

As emotive pictures were projected into the hall, Carmel College student Christy McAllister gave a moving rendition of Mad World.

Students Daniel Gibbs and Amelia Bryant also performed the theme from Schindler’s List.

York hosted a series of events to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

On Sunday night there was a candlelit ceremony of remembrance of the genocide – and of the massacre of Jewish people in York’s Clifford’s Tower in 1190.

The service took place in the tower and included readings and prayers, followed by a memorial event at York City Council’s West Offices.

On Tuesday, York Minster was lit by 600 candles remembering those who died.

PUPILS at Teesdale School remembered Holocaust survivors by hosting a solidarity march around the school grounds.

Led by sixth former, Jake Madgwick-Lawton, regional ambassador for the Holocaust Education Trust, the pupils walked in silence for about 500 meters – a combined 300,000 meters for the whole school – equating to 5cm for each victim.

Each pupil also carried a profile of a Holocaust victim while they walked, which Mr Madgwick-Lawton said would remind people that the victims were “just like you and me”.

He said: “We must all learn something from the Holocaust.

“If we respect the role played by everyone in our community it will be harder to isolate and attack minorities.

“As well as thinking about the past we should also remember atrocities which are happening today.

“We should remember the resilience, dignity and bravery of those who suffered at [the Nazis'] hands.”

Teesdale School co-principal Simon Maguire added: “It was a great opportunity for our young people to reflect on this tragedy and to think about what it means for us in Britain today.

“We are delighted with Jake’s work for the Holocaust Trust, he’s a fantastic asset to our school.”

A poem written by a soldier, whose mother is a North-East college student, has gone on display to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

Sapper Connor French, who is serving in the Royal Engineers, wrote the poem after visiting prisoner-of-war camps and Normandy Battlefield sites of the Second World War.

The 20-year-old left his poem at Bayeux Memorial in tribute to the casualties of the war but his mother, Barbara Carling, donated a copy to be featured in an exhibition at Sunderland College’s Washington Campus.

Ros Jackson, Sunderland College’s chaplain who organised the memorial, said: “Barbara is intensely proud of her son’s poetic skills, which show powerful feelings towards those who sacrificed their lives.”