MORE than 160 people gathered in Bolton Town Hall last night to pray for world peace on Holocaust Memorial Day.

Official representatives of all of the town's faiths were present, except for the Jewish community because there is no synagogue in town.

The Mayor of Bolton, Cllr John Walsh, led the service. He invited people to sign a statement committing themselves to fighting racial and religious hatred.

Pupils from local schools sang and displayed art work about the holocaust. Poems and prayers were also read.

Canon Michael Williams, the Vicar of Bolton, was among the religious leaders at the service.

He said: "The main message was that the horrors of the holocaust still exist in our world today. They need to be stopped.

"What made this service special was that there is no real Jewish community in Bolton, but we still prayed on their behalf."