A COUNCIL has marked Holocaust Memorial Day with a touching online tribute after the pandemic resulted in the cancellation of its usual event.

Each year Tendring Council holds a service in the Clacton Sunken Rose Garden, which is led by the chairman of the Colchester Synagogue.

It is also attended by residents from across the area and is designed to honour and remember the lives lost during the horrific Holocaust. 

The occasion also promotes awareness of how people and communities were persecuted under racial and social policy for being different.

The memorial day first started in 2001 and has since seen the council plant a commemorative white rose bush at the Clacton Sunken Rose Garden alongside a plaque.

But this year's event could not take place due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Instead, to honour the victims of the Holocaust, council chairman Dan Land read a prayer in their remembrance in a video published online. 

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

Mr Land has since stressed how important it is to ensure those involved in the Holocaust are never forgotten and always remembered.

“It is so vital that we mark Holocaust Memorial Day and learn the lessons that history teaches us," he said.

“In these difficult few months it is easy to overlook such tragic events but it is important to mark this occasion on behalf to all those lives involved.”

Click here to watch Dan Land's tribute.