Holocaust children will return to the Lake District

Nine men, originally from Eastern Europe and now living in the Leeds and Manchester area, are on a visit to Windermere where they spent six months recuperating.

The men were among 300 children - 270 boys and 30 girls - from Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia who flew over from Prague.

They arrived at Crosby-on-Eden airfield, near Carlisle, in 10 Lancaster Bombers on 14 August 1945, before being bussed to Windermere.

Continued threat

Almost all orphans, they had survived ghettoes, slave labour camps and concentration camps and witnessed unimaginable horrors, many having seen their parents murdered.

During their rehabilitation, they were housed at what is now the site of The Lakes School in Troutbeck Bridge.

Their accommodation was built for workers at the nearby aircraft factory at White Cross Bay on the shores of Windermere.

The visitors are due to attend a number of events during their stay, including a talk at Appleby Grammar School, a plaque-laying at the Lakes School and a civic reception at the Windermere Hydro Hotel in Bowness.

The event - Holocaust Survivors in Cumbria - has been organised by the Cumbrian branch of the union Unison to raise awareness of the continued threat from racism and fascism and to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January.