YOUNG voices proved both moving and inspiring during the Holocaust memorial day event at the town hall last week.

Three members of Rochdale’s Youth Council were among the guests alongside the mayor, Councillor Robin Parker, Rochdale MP Paul Rowen and Heywood and Middleton MP Jim Dobbin.

Youth council member Sarah Lowe, Usman Nawaz, Rochdale’s UK Youth Parliament member and Alex Deniston, deputy member of the UK Youth Parliament,  gave a presentation of ‘Eva’s Story’.

Written by David Arnold in respect of the Holocaust, it is the true account of a young woman’s fight for survival at Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Second World War.

The whole audience listened in complete silence while the young people recounted the true and harrowing tale of Eva in the concentration camp. The tale was inspiring and thought-provoking.

Seventeen-year-old Sarah said “I’m honoured to have been asked to read part of Eva’s story for this year.”

Usman, who is 19, added: “We must not forget the atrocities that have befallen other peoples of the world, like in Rwanda and Darfur.”

Eleven-year-old Rabab Butt closed the youth presentation by offering a floral tribute in respect of the past and a candle in hope for the future.