Holocaust Centre North Launches A New Sunday Programme For Spring and Summer

An important new addition to the Northern calender
Mag North
April 22, 2024

If you needed another reason for a Sunday trip to Huddersfield over the comming months - then this might just be the one: Now open on Sundays from 11am for Spring and Summer, Holocaust Centre North – based at the University of Huddersfield – is launching a brand new programme of weekend events, talks and family activities from this coming Sunday 28th April, to enable visitors of all ages to creatively engage with its permanent exhibition. Telling stories that are vitally important about the global history of the Holocaust through the lens of those survivors and refugees who made new lives in the North of England - this essential piece of our Northern tapestry is an absolute must to visit.

Sharing over 120 local stories and materials from those who rebuilt their lives in the north of England after escaping or surviving Nazi persecution, The centre's new and largely free programme of weekly events include talks, workshops, story-telling and interactive activities which will all bring to life the Centre’s collections and archives and its themes of survival, persecution, history, loss, migration, resilience and hope.

To kick off this new Sunday programme on Sunday 28th April, History lovers big and small are invited to join the Centre’s dedicated learning team for exciting activities that will test skills and knowledge, and see if they have what it takes to become a history detective! This event is free and drop-ins are welcome. All ages are welcome and no pre booking is necessary for this activity.

Holocaust Centre North Kids Learning in a class
Children Listening. Image: Juile Najim

In the coming months, events include:

Sunday 5th May - Zines have historically been the medium through which individuals, groups and marginalised communities have been able pursue shared ideas and subjects through making and distributing hand-made publications. Come along and make your own zine reflecting on your experiences of visiting Holocaust Centre North.

Sunday 12th MayHow does a family learn about their Holocaust history? Join 3rd generation Holocaust survivor Elissa Winston to learn about her family’s story of the Holocaust and her grandmother’s story of survival, as well as considering the lasting effects on a family.

Start time: 1pm. Book HERE.

Cost - £5 / £3.50 for OAPs – Uni of Hud students

Sunday 19th May - This talk will discuss the work Louise K Wilson produced as part of Encountering Survival, the series of audio guides made for the Through Our Eyes exhibition at Holocaust Centre North https://audioguides.hcn.org.uk/. Operating in the space between museum interpretation and sound art, these works were created to prompt the visitor to reflect both on the Centre’s collection and museum display, but importantly on what is not there – whether lost, destroyed, stolen, left behind or immaterial. A new work for Encountering Survival - which focuses on the impact of intergenerational trauma through the experiences of two families - will be introduced by Wilson at this event.

Start time: 1pm. Book HERE.

Sunday 2nd June - Tracy Craggs is Holocaust Centre North’s Head of Collections but she has also interviewed members of the armed forces for 25 years, both for her doctoral thesis ‘An Unspectacular War? Reconstructing the History of the 2nd Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment during the Second World War’ and also on behalf of museums and archives across the UK. Her first book resulted from a promise she made to the veterans of the 2nd Battalion to tell their story. Her talk aims to bring to life the memories of some of the men who landed on Sword Beach on D-Day. She will describe, in their own words, what it was like to prepare for, and take part in, this momentous day.

Start time: 1pm. Book HERE.

Sunday 9th June – Join the team at 1pm for an exclusive tour around the permanent exhibition ‘Through Our Eyes’ and hear some of the stories of the survivors that HCN couldn’t fit into the exhibition.

Sunday 16th June – Storyteller Ruth Steinberg heads to HCN for an afternoon of stories, music and humour for her performance of ‘A Flower Is Not A Rat’. A must-see, thought-provoking performance.

Start time: 1pm. Book HERE.

Cost - £5 / £3.50 for OAPs – Uni of Hud students

Hannah Randall, Head of Learning at Holocaust Centre North comments: “Our Sunday events give new audiences the chance to engage with our work who normally may not be able to due to their work or family commitments. Sundays also give us the space to offer programming outside our usual offer to bring history to life through hands-on activities, talks and creative programming.”

Holocaust Centre North is open every Sunday for visitors from 11am – 3.30pm; and on Mondays to Thursdays 10-4pm.

Header Image: Children drawing. Juile Najim