Representatives from a Czech town saved by Stoke-on-Trent residents from the Nazi occupation will meet with the city's first citizen later this week.
The seven strong group, which includes three survivors of the atrocities in Lidice, will take in a number of the city’s sights before paying a visit to the Lord Mayor, councillor Terry Crowe’s parlour on Friday September 7, 2012.
Coming from the town of Lidice, the group will be arriving in the UK for a five day visit to mark the 70th anniversary of the Lidice Shall Live movement.
The group will be made up of survivors Mrs Marie Supikova, Mrs Jana Hanzlikova, Mr Pavel Horesovsky Mayor of Lidice, Mrs Veronika Kellerova, Curator of Lidice Art Gallery, Mrs Ivona Kasalicka, Lidice Historian and translator, Mrs Radka Sustrova and translator, Mrs Margaret Spangle.
During the parlour visit a Lidice painting by Harry Davis will be handed to the Mayor of Lidice, Mrs Veronika Kellerova, and a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed. This will then be followed by a tour of the council chambers and the Lord Mayor’s parlour before joining the Lord Mayor for lunch.
The Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, councillor Terry Crowe, said: “It’s a great privilege for me to welcome our guests from Lidice to Stoke-on-Trent as we remember the atrocious acts that brought our two communities together in the first place. The people of Stoke-on-Trent really took the story and plight Lidice’s residents to heart all those years ago and we want to continue, maintain and strengthen our connections with them.”
On the afternoon of Sunday September 6, 1942, in a packed Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent the ‘Lidice Shall Live’ movement was formed and in 1947 Lidice began to be rebuilt with the help of money raised by people in the Potteries.
The group will arrive at the Lord Mayor’s parlour on Friday September 7, 2012 just after 10am and leave at around 1:30pm.
-Ends-
For all media enquiries contact Steven Kennedy in the Communications Department at Stoke-on-Trent City Council on 01782 232987.