One year after the death of Sir Nicholas Winton, the Holocaust Educational Trust has launched an initiative to honour his memory.
Sir Nicholas’s story serves as an inspiration to all of us. He was an ordinary man, who saw injustice and did something extraordinary to help - he organised a Kindertransport which rescued 669 Czech children from the Holocaust.
Throughout his life, Sir Nicholas had a motto: “If it’s not impossible, then there must be a way to do it.” With this in mind the Trust is encouraging students, friends, supporters, our Ambassadors and you to join our #ShapeTheFuture initiative by making a public pledge about the practical steps you will take to honour the spirit of Sir Nicholas’s heroism.
Click here to download your #ShapeTheFuture pledge poster and then:
1. Print it
2. Write your pledge to #ShapeTheFuture
3. Post a selfie on social media and tweet it to us @HolocaustUK
4. Encourage people you know to do the same!
Together lets show the world that we will not allow antisemitism, intolerance and hatred to flourish.
Can't print the poster? Write your pledge on a piece of paper but don't forget to include #ShapeTheFuture and share it with us @HolocaustUK.
Who was Sir Nicholas Winton?
Sir Nicholas Winton, who was born in 1909, had been due to go on a skiing holiday in December 1938 but instead decided to go to Prague to assist a friend who was trying to help Jewish refugees. It was here that he had the idea of rescuing children by finding British families who could give them a home.
Winton set up an office at a dining room table at his hotel in Prague before returning to London where he worked with relief organisations to set up the Czech Kindertransport. 8 trains left Czechoslovakia in 1939, saving hundreds of children.
Winton never spoke about his efforts and it was not until his wife discovered a scrapbook containing information about the trains that they became known. His story became more widely known when he appeared in a 1988 episode of That's Life!, unaware that he was surrounded by the people he had saved. You can watch a clip of this here. He was given numerous accolades for his humanitarian work but remained a humble and modest man for the rest of his life.
Winton passed away on 1st July 2015, at the age of 106.