A GROUP of youngsters from Thurrock were joined by teachers and councillors on a recent trip to Poland to visit the scene of a number of Second World War Nazi horrors.

The trip to Krakow and nearby concentration camp Auschwitz is part of scheme to promote fairness, equality and understanding throughout the borough.

Council leader John Kent was on the trip – which included a seven hour delay getting home - and said he found it tiring and emotional.

He said: “Seeing the camps, the ghetto walls in Krakow, and the other places whether Nazi atrocities were carried out really brings the horrors of mindless and pointless hate home, a message we should all be passing on to everyone we meet – all the more so with the news coming out of Syria this week.”

Councillor Lynn Worral, in charge of communities, was also on the trip. She said: “It’s important that every year, here in Thurrock, we remember the six million Jews who were tortured and gassed for no other reason than the fact that they were Jews.”

This Monday, January 27, is Holocaust Memorial Day. A service will take place at High View Memorial Garden in Grays from 11am.