"O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good-will, but also those of evil will. But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted on us; Remember the fruits we have borne, thanks to this suffering - our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, our courage, our generosity; the greatness of heart which has grown out of all this; and when they come to the judgement, let all the fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness."

This prayer for the dead was found by the body of a dead child at Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany. It embodies the ethos behind Holocaust Memorial Day.

Holocaust Memorial Day is not only a commemoration of the many genocides, past and present, around the world, but also a time to understand suffering, both inflicted and endured, and to pledge to prevent other such atrocities from ever happening.

65 years on from the liberation of Auschwitz, the theme, "The Legacy of Hope", aims to inspire us to achieve our dream of a safer, more accepting society, where our differences are celebrated.

The community of Sutton marked this momentous day by holding a memorial service on Sunday 24th January at the local library. After the initial greetings from the Mayor of Sutton, Councillor Margaret Court, and the Deputy Youth MP for Sutton, Meera Rajasooriar, the audience were invited to listen to the moving tales of two local, holocaust victims.

Many of you may have heard the story of Helen Goldman, a Jewish lady who survived the terror of the holocaust in Germany in World War II after promising herself she would not die a broken woman, like so many others around her. Using a friend's identity she fled to safety and is still alive today.

Lulijeta Muka, another local resident, is a survivor of the Kosovo genocide of 1999 and her story served as a reminder of the atrocities still occurring across the world.

Performances from All Saints primary school and Overton Grange School we given as a commemoration of the terrible events that have occurred throughout history, with much inspiration drawn from the moving story of Helen Goldman's miraculous escape.

The event was closed by the Secretary of the Muslim Cultural and Welfare Association, Mr. Lal Hussain, who offered the touching reminder that we all share one world: we must learn to accept each other as we are, to treat each other as equals, and above all, we must learn from our mistakes.