Holocaust Memorial Day was observed on Monday 27 January at the Spotlight and Lowewood Museum Gardens in Hoddesdon.
The event marked 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia where over 8000 men and boys were killed.
Ahead of the afternoon memorial service, Broxbourne Council held a flag raising ceremony at Bishops’ College in the morning, to elevate the Holocaust Memorial Day flag alongside the Council’s own.
The High Sherrif of Hertfordshire, Annie Brewster was present at the afternoon service, along with Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Emma Roberts, Mayor of Broxbourne, Councillor Sherrie McDaid and Deputy Leader, Councillor Steve Wortley.
Students from Robert Barlcay Academy, Broxbourne School, Broxbourne CE Primary School, St Catherines Primary School and John Warner were in attendance, with each reading out poems and laying shoes and flowers at the Holocaust Memorial.
The Mayor of Broxbourne delivered a heartfelt message during the ceremony, stating: “Let today be an opportunity for people to come together, in peace and hope, to learn both from and about the past, and take actions to make a better future for us all.”
To conclude the ceremony, 6 doves were released as tribute to those lives lost during the Holocaust and genocides. The doves were sponsored by Andrew D Crowley - Funeral Directors, Waltham Abbey, and supplied by Lambert's White Dove Release, Enfield.
To find out more about Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 visit www.hmd.org.uk/