A MAYOR is asking people to remember the Holocaust, and to learn lessons from it.

Holocaust Memorial Day will be remembered in Middlesbrough on Sunday, when the Reverend Meg Robb will conduct a service at the United Reformed Church, in the town's Linthorpe Road, from 12.30pm to 1.15pm.

Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon said: "It's extremely important that we do not forget, and that we continue to learn from the terrible events of the Holocaust.'' The theme is "Imagine ... remember, reflect, react" and people are invited to reflect on the continuing implications of racism and intolerance today.

Mr Mallon said: "The theme of imagine invites us to think about those whose lives were lost, or changed forever, during this time, and to consider how issues such as inclusion and exclusion are still relevant to us all today.'' The service, which is open to the public, will be attended by Mr Mallon, the Right Rev Robert Ladds, the Bishop of Whitby, local councillors, war veterans, representatives of the combined services and families of Holocaust victims.

The memorial day is on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration camp.