Woodside Primary School children commemorated Anne Frank’s birthday recently

Children at Woodside Primary School in Oswestry joined with Mike Isherwood, local Shropshire Councillor for Oswestry West, and with guests representing world faiths, in a special ceremony to remember Anne Frank on her birthday of Monday 12 June 2023. The ceremony took place at the cherry tree planted there in 2016, which bears a quote from Anne Frank:-

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single minute before starting to improve the world.”

The ceremony was all about the power of words. Imam Sohayb Peerbhai from the South Shropshire Interfaith Forum read a poem about “ordinary people”, which was the Holocaust Memorial Day theme this year. Lady Natalie Cumming from the Jewish community then shared the story of how her Aunt Rosa survived the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Mauthausen and Belsen by playing her violin in the women’s orchestras.

Lady Cumming has published the story of her Aunt and of the family violin, in “The Fiddle”, and talked to the children about how important it had been to record what had happened, just as Anne Frank had recorded her own experiences as an ordinary girl in her diary.

The children were from the School Council, plus five children who shared with their guests what their school values are, and what they mean in terms of looking after each other as well as the Anne Frank cherry tree.

Father Yin-An Chen, curate at St Oswald’s, then lit a candle with the children and shared a special prayer to close the ceremony. The candle has three wicks to indicate the world faiths of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Anne Frank’s birthday: ceremony at Woodside Primary School, Oswestry

Imam Sohayb Peerbhai said:- 

“A wonderful morning at Woodside in a ceremony to mark the birthday of Anne Frank: a special thank you to the children who participated and showed excellent manners, diversity and a commitment to look after the tree, well done Woodside!”

Lady Cumming gives talks about her Aunt Rosa, and has been made a Coronation Champion by the new King and Queen for her Holocaust awareness work and her work as a missing persons campaigner. She kindly wore her medal and brought in her award to show the children. She wrote to the school afterwards to say:-

“I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated being invited to attend the Anne Frank Memorial Day and to be given such a warm welcome.  It was a pleasure to meet the children who took part.  They were indeed a credit to the school – particularly in this day and age when we usually only hear negative things about them.  Their reaction to my diploma from their Majesties, the King and Queen, was indeed reassuring that they hold our royal family in deep regard. “

Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult social care, public health and communities, said:- 

“I was delighted to hear that the tree is now so high that it cannot be measured, and that is bearing cherries. The children at Woodside Primary School are clearly looking after it very well. I know that Mike Isherwood will agree that it is so encouraging to know that the story of the Holocaust and the dreadful plight which so many millions of people suffered in World War Two will not be forgotten – at least not by the next generation growing up at Woodside.”

Mike Isherwood said:- 

”Remembering ordinary people like Anne Frank, their sacrifices and also their legacies, is so important in linking children to their history, as well as learning for their future. The values displayed by the pupils show that our children will grow up to do some extraordinary things and bring strength, compassion and unity to their community.”