Croydon is staging its annual Holocaust Memorial Ceremony in the Town Hall on Monday, January 27, at 12 noon.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Allied troops liberating the concentration camps, where millions of people were killed under the Nazis.

On Monday, Croydon’s Civic Mayor Kola Agboola will provide an introduction and read the Croydon Pledge and sign a Book of Remembrance.

Penny Smith-Orr, on behalf of Croydon Synagogue, will be among others to speak at the event.

There will be keynote addresses, from Professor Nelly Ben-Orr, a survivor of the Holocaust, and Idris, a Syrian refugee.

There will also be a presentation from Oasis Academy Coulsdon.

The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education – SACRE – asked Croydon school pupils to create artwork, a short story, poem, essay, or short film on the theme of “For a Better Future”.

The SACRE committee judged the entries and the chair of SACRE, Deputy Civic Mayor Richard Chatterjee, will announce the winning school.

The remembrance event is open to the public, with spaces allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To attend, please contact civicmayor@croydon.gov.uk

“Holocaust Memorial Day is about honouring the experiences of all people affected by the Holocaust and genocide, but it’s also about learning the lessons of the past and challenging ourselves to work for a safer, better future,” said Civic Mayor Agboola.

“Here in Croydon, we are proud of the rich diversity of backgrounds in our community and Holocaust Memorial Day is a reminder that we must always stand firm against hatred and bigotry of any type, and that the horrors of the Holocaust must never happen again.”

• Inside Croydon has moved to Bluesky. Click here to join us there for latest updates and insights

• Check out our archive of podcasts on Spotify, including our monthly news discussion panel show thingy, the Croydon Insider, and The Andrew Fisher Interview

Inside Croydon – If you want real journalism, delivering real news, from a publication that is actually based in the borough, please consider paying for it. Sign up today: click here for more details

• If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com

• As featured on Google News Showcase

• We offer FREE ads to community groups when they have members who are paid subscribers to Inside Croydon

• Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here

• Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network