Two teenage history students have been given an insight into the Holocaust they will never forget.

Luke Savage and Sarah Walby, Year 13 students at Maryport’s Netherhall School, were selected as ambassadors for this year’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project, a Holocaust Educational Trust programme.

They spent a day at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in Poland as well as hearing a first-hand account from a Holocaust survivor.

They were guided through the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum by local experts and trained educators from the Holocaust Educational Trust.

A follow-up seminar was held in Newcastle and the students have been charged with the responsibility of sharing their experiences with Year 8 children at their school before they begin their Holocaust studies.

The students both said they had gained an insight into the horror of what had happened to Jews during the second world war.

Luke said: “It was horrifying to hear the brutality of the Nazis when hearing stories about the people caught up in these tragic events. The experience as a whole has enhanced my understanding of the Holocaust and the events that took place during this period.

“I would recommend that anyone who has the chance to visit Auschwitz takes on the opportunity, to fully appreciate the scale of this terrible moment in human history”.

Sarah added “Visiting the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland was a fascinating experience. It helped me to further understand the holocaust and made me realise the scale of the tragedy.

“The experience has given me the urge to educate others about the Holocaust and further develop their understanding of what really happened and to make them realise how much of an impact the Holocaust had on the Jews and other groups who suffered under the Nazis”.

Both will now try to ensure that nobody forgets the Holocaust..