28 September 2006
The British Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) Gordon Brown has received an award from the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) at its annual fundraising dinner in central London for his commitment to education about the Holocaust in Britain. The HET, established in 1988 to educate young people from every ethnic background about the Holocaust, chose to honor Brown following a pledge from the British government of £1.5 million (US 2.85 million) in funding for the trust. The money will enable HET to organize visits to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, in Poland, for over 6,000 students, or two students from every high school and college of further education in Britain. “I hope this funding can help to support the vital work of the Holocaust Educational Trust in schools across the UK," Brown said, "enabling thousands more students to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau as part of their "Lessons from Auschwitz" course. I applaud them in their tremendous work and I am honored to be receiving this special award.” Karen Pollock, chief executive of the HET, commented: “The Chancellor’s support reinforces the government’s commitment to Holocaust education in UK schools. "Since the course's inception, the HET has taken nearly 4,000 students and teachers to Auschwitz, as well as many members of parliament, government officials and journalists. Gordon Brown is expected to take over from Tony Blair as prime minister next year.