TEST Valley Borough Council is flying the flags on its buildings at half-mast today to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.

Holocaust Memorial Day happens every year on 27 January, which is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.

The day remembers all those impacted by the atrocity during the Second World War, as well as the genocides in Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia and Darfur.

It encourages people to think of those who tragically lost their lives, and to honour the survivors whose lives were changed forever.

Leader of Test Valley Borough Council, Cllr Phil North, said: "It’s difficult today for us to imagine the true horrors of the Nazi death camps and the sheer scale of the killings that took place there, but imagine we must. The message needs to be passed on loud and clear to future generations.

"Only by remembering the Holocaust and the other genocides that have afflicted our world can we hope to build peace.

"To ensure that, as much as possible, our children grow up in a world full of tolerance, respect and of thriving democratic nations."

This year’s theme is ‘be the light in the darkness’.

More information about the day can be found at www.hmd.org.uk.