On the 8th and 9th of June, I’ll be taking on a huge challenge: a two-day, 50km trek from Carlisle Airport to the Calgarth Estate on the shores of Lake Windermere. This route follows in the footsteps of the Windermere Children – a group of young Holocaust orphans who arrived in the UK in 1945 after liberation from Theresienstadt.
This year marks 80 years since their arrival. Our walk commemorates the journey they made as they began to rebuild their lives in a new country after the unimaginable horrors they endured. It’s a powerful tribute to their strength, and to the hope they carried with them.
The trek is in support of The Fed’s My Voice project which is dedicated to preserving the life stories of Holocaust survivors and refugees. These are recorded in their own words, as “whole-life-story books” – deeply personal, powerful accounts that span their entire lives. These unique books are used across schools, universities, and museums to educate future generations about the Holocaust and the resilience of those who lived through it.
To date, we’ve completed 47 life-story books, with 15 more in progress. Six of the Windermere Children’s life stories are part of the My Voice Collection. We are also producing short films of survivors reading their own words – bringing their stories to life in a new and moving way.
At a time when Holocaust denial and antisemitism are rising, this work is more important than ever. This is a stand-alone project, and we urgently need to raise money to keep it going.
We are deeply committed to making sure these extraordinary stories are never forgotten – that the promise we made to the survivors, to share their lives and lessons with generations to come, is kept.
Please support me if you can. Every contribution helps us preserve this essential history and honour those who lived it.
Thanks so much.