STUDENTS who travelled to Auschwitz have spoken of their moving experience.

Around 150 students from the North-East travelled to the site of the Nazi concentration camp on Wednesday in a visit organised by the Holocaust Education Trust.

Prior Pursglove students Lorna Metcalfe and Killian Craddock, both 17, were selected to fly out to Germany.

Miss Metcalfe, from Skelton, had been researching the Holocaust with a particular focus on Nazi medical experimentation.

She said: “The trip was really eye-opening and very much a personal journey for me. Being able to go there and stand in a place where someone was tortured or experimented on meant that it all just hit me.

“I had been complaining about being cold and tired but it put everything into perspective. It is very important to teach people about the Holocaust. Anti-semitism and racism are still around and trips like this can help spread an important message.”

Mr Craddock said the trip had helped him to realise the human side of the tragedy.

He said: “The biggest thing for me is that it broke down the numbers. We all hear the figure of six million but the presentation at Auschwitz let me understand the individual experiences of the people there.

“The most moving thing I saw was a letter written by someone in the camp to anyone who found it. It just said that none of it should ever be forgotten. It made me feel a huge responsibility to pass on that message.”