SCHOOLCHILDREN from across Bolton will play a part in the town's commemoration of Holocaust memorial day.

Pupils from Firwood School, will light candles throughout the service at the Festival Hall, Bolton, which is based on the theme 'Genocide in the World Today' and is open to everyone at 7pm on Monday.

Youngsters from Egerton School will be performing a song of peace at the event, timed to coincide with the national day to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps, Auschwitz and Birkenau, by allied forces in 1945.

A display of art poetry and other work which students at Sharples High School have been creating, will also be on display.

The project, which has taken a number of months to put together, has been done as an extra curricular activity, but is linked with their History GCSE lessons.

Led by Canon Michael Williams, the service will be in six short sections, made up of a reading and the candle lighting, which will reflect aspects of the holocaust and will also touch upon more recent human tragedies. There will also be contributions from the Very Reverend Henry Jones of St Mary's RC Church, Horwich and the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr John Walsh will be reading a statement of commitment.

Councillor Cliff Morris, Chairman of Bolton Council's civic policy development group, responsible for the commemorations, said: "We will specifically remember the Holocaust which took place during the second world war.

He added: "We will also look at other genocides that have happened since."