Celebration of peace 66 years on from atomic bombs

Manchester people are invited to a ceremony of commemoration to remember the victims of the atomic bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 66 years ago.

The ceremony, led by the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Harry Lyons JP, will include a reading of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki 2010 Peace Declarations and a special screening of a documentary at the Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, at 7pm on Tuesday 9 August.

Peace ceremonies have been held in Hiroshima and Nagasaki since the 1950s, and the two city mayors are presidents of Mayors for Peace - an international local government organisation of nearly 4,900 cities who have pledged to call for a nuclear free world by 2020.

Manchester City Council is also a Vice President of the Mayors for Peace organisation and has taken a full and active role in its campaigns for the past decade.

The ceremony will begin with a short address from the Lord Mayor of Manchester before two minutes silence in remembrance of all innocent casualties in conflicts around the world over the past 66 years.

The documentary - Twice Bombed - The Legacy of Yamaguchi Tsutomu - tells the story of one of thirty people who witnessed both atomic bombs and documents Yamaguchi's first visit to Hiroshima in 65 years, reliving his incredible story and sharing his experience with members of the UN as well as Japanese and American school children.

The service will close with readings of poems written by survivors of both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs.

Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Harry Lyons JP, said: "I am honoured to be leading the ceremony to remember the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, one of the saddest anniversaries of the 20th century. After the recent tragic events in Norway, and the various current conflicts around the world, we want to remember in this ceremony all the ordinary people affected by such violence.

"I hope the ceremony allows for us all to reflect of the real cost of all conflicts and honour the ordinary men, women and children who have so needlessly died. Manchester is very proud of its involvement with the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and we stand shoulder to shoulder with them at this ceremony. I urge the people of Manchester to attend."

The ceremony is open to all members of the public with local peace and faith groups, councillor and local MPs specifically invited.