THE Lord Mayor of Oxford will host a reflection service to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day next week.

The service, led by Colin Cook, will allow members of the public, city council employees and councillors to honour survivors of the Holocaust and further genocides following World War Two.

The theme of this year's event is Torn from home. A man who was a child rescued by the Kindertransport, Kenneth Appel, will give an account of his own experience. He found refuge from the Nazis in the UK.

Mr Cook said: “I am immensely proud to be a part of a city that has been, and continues to be, so welcoming to refugees. It is wonderful to hear from past generations, such as Kenneth Appel, who have made a success of their lives here in this country.

"It has been humbling to meet some of the current refugees who are starting out on that process and making Oxford their new home. The city will do whatever it can to help them and future refugees feel welcome here.”

The Lord Mayor will be joined at Oxford Town Hall by the City Rector, the Rev Anthony Buckley, and Penny Faust, of the Oxford Jewish Congregation.

Monawar Hussain, the foundation of the Oxford Foundation, and Anneliese Dodds, the MP for Oxford East, will also attend the event at noon next Friday.