My Voices Travelling Exhibition

The exhibition will be available to view during regular library opening hours.The My Voice Travelling Exhibition is a powerful educational installation that brings to life the remarkable whole-life testimonies of Holocaust Survivors who rebuilt their lives in Greater Manchester and the North West.

Drawing on the voices of storytellers such as Ike Alterman BEM, Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines and others, the exhibition presents deeply personal narratives of childhood, persecution, resilience, liberation and renewal, told in the survivors’ own words.

Panels, images and words integrate moments of profound loss - family separation, ghettos, death camps, and death marches - with stories of hope, dignity, and the rebuilding of new lives in Manchester and the region’s communities.

Every element of the exhibition is designed to honour survivors’ humanity and highlight how their lived experiences contribute to shaping “a kinder, fairer city, region and society today.”What makes the exhibition especially impactful is its ability to connect historic truth to contemporary relevance.

It will travel directly into libraries, schools, community hubs and civic spaces so that people of all ages and backgrounds can encounter these stories where they live and learn.

This deliberate accessibility ensures that the lessons of the Holocaust- about prejudice, the dangers of unchecked hatred, the importance of empathy and the moral courage to stand up for others - reach the broadest possible audience.

The exhibition complements the wider My Voice educational strategy, including free PSHE and Holocaust national curriculum resources that help young people explore diversity, mutual respect, allyship, and responsible citizenship.

In a moment where communities continue to face rising division and acts of hate, the exhibition offers a grounding, humanising lens that strengthens social cohesion and encourages visitors to reflect on who we are - and who we choose to be - as a society.Visitors will leave the exhibition not only informed, but transformed.

By engaging with authentic survivor voices, they gain a deeper understanding of the human cost of hatred and the enduring strength of those who survived it.

They walk away with a heightened appreciation of Manchester and the North West’s Holocaust heritage, a renewed commitment to empathy and inclusion, and a clearer sense of their role in challenging prejudice today.

The exhibition inspires reflection, conversation, and action - ensuring that the lessons of the past are carried forward and that every visitor becomes, in their own way, a witness.This exhibition was made possible by the Heritage Fund.