CHILDREN from several local schools took part in a memorial day service to mark the holocaust and other acts of genocide in Thurrock.

The event takes place annually in the Palmers Rest Garden on Palmers Avenue but was extra special this year as it is the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Birkenau death camp where 1.1 million people were murdered by the Nazi German forces.

Today's service in Grays was one of many taking place across the UK and around the world and it was marked by a speech from Thurrock antisemitism campaigner Stephen Silverman who warned of the dangers of a repeat of the persecution of religious, personal and political beliefs and launched a blistering attack on the British Labour party.

Mr Silverman, from Chafford Hundred, is a former member of the Labour party who quit when he said he discovered the level of hatred against his faith among the higher echelons of the party. In particular he slammed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

A separate report on Mr Silverman's speech, including a video of it, can be found by clicking the red button below.

The rest of today's service followed a more traditional pattern.

It was taken by local Dean, the Rev Canon Darren Barlow and speakers included Mayor Terry Piccolo, Communities portfolio holder Cllr Deborah Huelin and shadow portfolio holder Cllr Qaisar Abbas.

A Jewish prayer for those who died in the holocaust was read and chanted by Mr Elliott Porte of the East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue who spoke about and introduced the ceremony of pebble laying which followed the spoken part of the service.

However, despite the many words of the adults, perhaps the most important people among around 100 attendees which included Thurrock Council CEO Lyn Carpenter, several of her senior directors, Council Leader Cllr Rob Gledhill and other councillors were the children from local primary and secondary schools.

Pupils from Woodside Academy sang 'Shalom', Warren primary students asked 'Where are the children', Horndon on the Hill youngsters read a prayer they had written, St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary Schoolchildren read the poem 'Holocaust Remembered' by Elena Thornton and Quarry Hill Primary read 'Holocaust' by Barbara Sonic and also contributed their own words.

Students from the Grays Convent were among the first to join Cllr Piccolo in the laying of stones.