THURROCK school children came together with the son of “British Schindler”, Sir Nicholas Winton, at the Thameside Theatre on Friday to present a moving memorial to the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust.
Children from Corringham Primary School, Gable Hall School, Stifford Clays Primary School and Woodside Academy presented a programme of readings, drama and music in remembrance of the Holocaust and guest speaker Nick Winton gave a moving account of how his father’s Kinder Transports from Prague saved 669 Jewish children from the Nazis just before the war started. Woodside teaching assistant, Mark Carter provided names and faces of some of the six million who were not rescued from his own research into his Jewish relatives in Holland.
Thurrock violinist and teacher Hannah Woolmer played the haunting Theme from Schindler’s List. The evening was opened by Samson DeAlyn Thurrock Council’s former Diversity Advisor and finished with closing remarks from the Mayor of Thurrock, Councillor Cathy Kent. The event was organised jointly by Sharon Grimmond from Learning Workz which has been working with the schools on the Diversity Mark and Woodside Principal Edward Caines who also introduced the participants.
Earlier that morning the same schools had been represented, along with Holy Cross, St Thomas of Canterbury, and Grays Convent at the council’s annual multi-faith service in the Herbert E Brooks Memorial Gardens where those present laid a stone in remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.
