AVOW will mark this years Holocaust Memorial Day with an online campaign through social media and their website rather than a service.

For the last six years, the Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham (AVOW) has usually marked Holocaust Memorial Day with a service at the Memorial Hall, Wrexham.

This year, it will instead take the form of an online campaign (in collaboration with Wrexham County Borough Council’s ‘Community Cohesion’ team), in which a broad range of creative content will be shared across AVOW’s website and social media profiles; ranging from mixed media content produced in workshops, to various additional resources from the Holocaust Memorial Trust website.

The workshops have been running over the last few days, doing writing, art and interactive sessions to respond to Holocaust Memorial Day (Thursday, January 27). Some of the work produced in the workshops, which were open to the public, will be featured throughout the day as part of the community commemoration of global genocide.

In a statement from AVOW, they said: "This event matters to us a great deal, as we should never forget the atrocities of all the recognised genocides across the world – Rwanda, Cambodia, Bosnia, Darfur and the Holocaust. Genocide usually starts with classification, where the differences between people are not respected: There’s a division of ‘us’ and ‘them,’ which can be created and reinforced with stereotypes, or by excluding people who are perceived to be different.

"We work to reinforce the message that everyone is equal, whilst respecting diversity in the services we hold. The day gives people a chance to reflect and remember all those who were killed and persecuted – and those who continue to be killed and persecuted across the world today, with the enduring commitment that such atrocities must never happen again."