Last chance to vote – Holocaust Centre for National Lottery Award

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THE Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre is appealing for votes after reaching the finals of the 25th Birthday National Lottery Awards – the search for the UK’s favourite ever National Lottery-funded projects.  

The Centre is competing in the Best Heritage Project category.   Overcoming stiff competition from more than 700 organisations, it has now reached the public voting stage in this year’s National Lottery Awards, which celebrate the inspirational people and projects who do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding.

The project with the most votes will be crowned the winner and receive a £10,000 cash prize, an National Lottery Awards trophy and attend a star-studded glittering awards ceremony to be broadcast on BBC One in November.

In September 2018, The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre opened to the public with the help of National Lottery funding.  The interactive exhibition, ‘Through Our Eyes’, tells the story of the Holocaust through the experiences of 16 survivors and refugees who made new lives in the north of England.  It highlights the dangers of racism and prejudice and aims to help visitors consider our own responsibilities in today’s world.

Since the Centre opened, over 5,000 visitors from schools, community groups and the wider community have experienced its exhibition, learning programmes and events.  The project has its roots in the survivor community.  It was driven forward by a small group of survivors, refugees and their descendants who originally came together in 1996 and share their most traumatic memories so that future generations may learn from what happened to them.  

Vote for The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre in the 25th Birthday National Lottery Awards – Voting runs from 9am on 24 July until midnight on 21 August.  You can also follow the campaign on Twitter: hashtag #NLAwards.

Lilian Black, from the Holocaust Survivors’ Friendship Association (HSFA), says winning a prestigious National Lottery Award and having their work showcased on national television would be an honour.

She said: “We are delighted to learn that the Centre has been shortlisted as a finalist in the heritage category of the 25th Birthday National Lottery Awards.

“National Lottery funding played a key role in creating a permanent archive of history from over 70 Holocaust survivors and refugees and open a new free-to-visit centre dedicated to sharing these stories.

“The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre is a testimony to the strength of the human spirit in adversity and a warning for the future.  We now need the support of the people to vote for us to help win this accolade.”

Jonathan Tuchner, from the National Lottery, added: “It’s thanks to National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes, that brilliant projects like those in the finals of the National Lottery Awards are possible. 

“The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre is doing an incredible job in its local community and the work the charity does is hugely impressive.  They thoroughly deserve to be in the finals of the 25th Birthday National Lottery Awards and with your support they could be a winner.”