Holocaust survivor shares her story with young Worthing footballer at Wembley Stadium

Davison High School student Edie Statton, 13, and former striker Glenn Murray met with Joan to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

Edie, from the BHAFC Foundation's free Premier League Kicks group in Worthing, was one of the young fans from five different Premier League clubs to be chosen for the initiative.

The aim was to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and allow survivors to pass on their stories to young people first-hand.

Joan spoke to Edie and Glenn about survival, resilience and the importance of standing against hate.

She said: "Prejudice is a dangerous thing and it spreads like wildfire. It’s so easy to make outcasts of a whole group of people.

"It’s so important to see everyone as human beings. Whatever their background, whatever their ethnic group, they have a right to be treated with dignity.”

Born in Belgium, Joan was three months old when the Nazis invaded in 1940. Her family fled to France, where Joan’s father was arrested and the family was forced to report to the local police station every week.

In July 1942, a police officer warned Joan’s mother the authorities were about to start deporting women and children to concentration camps, and her family was on the list for the first transport.

Joan’s mother was able to quickly arrange their escape and they were smuggled out of Paris in a laundry van in the dead of night. After travelling to Spain, Joan and her sister were put on a boat to the USA and it was not until 1947 that they were finally being reunited with their parents, in London.

Olivia Marks-Woldman, chief executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said: “Football is a universal language of unity and friendship, perfectly reflecting the core message of Holocaust Memorial Day.

"Holocaust Memorial Day is more than a moment of reflection, it is a call to action. Like in football, we are all called to play our part in championing empathy and understanding.

"Together, we can create a world where everyone is embraced, respected, and valued, regardless of their beliefs or experiences.”

The initiative took place in partnership with the clubs, Jewish News, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and the FA. The aim was to use the unifying power of the sport to bring together generations and learn about the past so their stories can be remembered.