Yorkshire Holocaust centre shortlisted for £10,000 National Lottery award

A Holocaust education centre in Yorkshire dedicated to telling the stories of survivors has been shortlisted to win £10,000 from the National Lottery.

The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre at Huddersfield University faced competition from over 700 entries to the best heritage project category.

To win the award, which marks the National Lottery’s 25^th anniversary, the centre must now win a public vote held on national-lottery.co.uk until August 21.

The £1.1m centre opened last year with lottery funding has received over 5,000 visitors, including school-pupils. The only resource of its kind in the north of England, it also delivers learning programmes on the consequences of prejudice, extremism and intolerance.

Its interactive exhibition, titled Through Our Eyes, tells the stories of 16 survivors and refugees and contains photographs, digital testimony, artefacts and film.

Lilian Black, chair of the centre and the Holocaust Survivors’ Friendship Association, is the daughter of Eugene Black, who survived Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora.

“Although my father didn’t live to see the centre built, he saw all the plans and I know he would feel we did justice to the memory of all families who were murdered in the Holocaust,” she said.

“He felt education about it was just so important for today, so he would be thrilled to know about our programmes with schools.”

To help the Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre secure the National Lottery heritage award, submit your vote online here.