HUNDREDS of people stood in Bournemouth gardens for the unveiling of a memorial statue in recognition of Holocaust Memorial Day.

Local councillors, the Mayor of Bournemouth, Cllr Chris Mayne, and the High Sheriff of Dorset, Jane Stitchbury, were joined by members of the public for the special event to reflect on the 70 anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Lynda Ford-Horne, chair of the Bournemouth and Poole Holocaust Memorial Day Committee, was assisted by 91-year-old Walter Kammerling from Strouden Park in the lighting one of 70 seventy candles across the country as part of a national event.

It signified the start of a minute of silence to honour the survivors of the holocaust and subsequent tragedies.

Afterwards, Lynda said: “Two years ago, it was suggested that we should have a permanent war memorial in Bournemouth to come to.

“I visited Tony Williams, chief executive of Bournemouth Council, and he said, without hesitation, that he would give his support to us having a memorial to visit in the town.

“It means that everyone has a permanent place to come to on January 27 every year.”

Mr Kammerling came to the UK with the Kindertransport, a series of rescue efforts which brought thousands of refugee Jewish children to Great Britain from Nazi Germany, from 1938 to 1940.

He has lived in the town since 1969 and said that it was ‘wonderful’ to have a permanent memorial in Bournemouth. He added: “It’s very important because people ask about the wars and the Holocaust and now they can see this.

“We also need to tell them that it is important to stay true to your own beliefs and if your instinct tells you that something isn’t right, then you must have trust in it.”