Religious leaders and the community will come together midweek for a special service in St Albans Cathedral.

Hosted by the Mayor and Mayoress, Cllr Salih Gaygusuz and his wife Maureen, the service is being held at 6.30pm next Wednesday, January 27.

The day is devoted to keeping the memory alive of the millions killed in the Holocaust under Nazi persecution.

It also recognises subsequent genocides that have taken place in the 20th century including in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

The theme this year is “Don’t Stand By” - both to honour survivors and reflect upon their lessons and experiences while promoting the prevention of future atrocities.

Four Holocaust Educational Trust Ambassadors from Sandringham School in St Albans will also join the commemoration. The sixth-form students participated in the Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project in March 2015, when they visited the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau during a four-part educational programme.

Prayers will be led in Hebrew and English and six symbolic candles will be lit, one for each million of the six million Jews murdered. The candles also represent other victims of Nazi persecution and remember the people killed in subsequent atrocities.

The Mayor said: “It is vital that knowledge of what happened is passed on from one generation to another so that it is never forgotten.”

Anyone wishing to attend the commemoration should contact the Mayor’s office on 01727 819544 to go on the attendance list and receive a formal invitation.