Holocaust survivors gathered across Sussex to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

They were joined by people of all ages in moving memorials to the men, women and children, the vast majority of them Jews, who died at the notorious Nazi death camp and other concentration camps during the Second World War.

The theme of this year's annual event, Survivors, Liberation and Rebuilding Lives, paid tribute to those interned in the camps, with many of those who lived through the genocide invited to recount their experiences.

Pupils from Priory School, in Mountfield Road, Lewes, read an extract from the Diary Of Anne Frank while an olive tree was planted at Southover Grange yesterday.

Teacher Sarah Carden said: "By taking part in this ceremony the pupils were showing they are not indifferent to what happened, that learning about it is not just an automatic exercise and that they realise it has wider implications."

Primary and secondary school teachers, voluntary organisations and youth groups, were among those invited to Hove Town Hall for an evening of remembrance.

Rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah, of Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue, spoke about the importance of learning from the past, while Dr Carol Fox, of the University of Brighton, discussed methods for teaching about the Holocaust.

City council leader Ken Bodfish said: "It is so important to use these anniversaries to ensure each generation learns this lesson from history about where prejudice, bigotry and racism can lead."

The relevance of the Holocaust in contemporary society was examined by artists in a multi-media exhibition at St Mary-In-The Castle, Hastings.

Visitors have until tomorrow to add their shoes to a pile in the centre of the gallery, designed to represent those murdered in the camps.

Hastings Council deputy leader Coun Jay Kramer said: "This display brings home strongly just how many people were murdered and by using something everyday you realise you cannot take anything for granted.

"We have refugees, asylum seekers and people fleeing persecution who live in our community and we need to recognise the issues of the Holocaust are still relevant today."

Pupils at St Richard's Catholic College, in Ashdown Road, Bexhill, saw the play Remembering performed by the Arc Theatre Company.

The treatment of different members of one household is used to examine issues around difference and immigration, in a deliberate recreation of events leading up to the Holocaust.

History teacher Joanne Calladine-Evans said: "By bringing the issues up to date it makes the Holocaust more meaningful."