20th May 2021
Prism the Gift Fund is excited to be working with its new Collective Fund client the Harwich Kindertransport Memorial Appeal. They are working to create a memorial statue to be placed at the Harwich quayside which will support their educational programme teaching the Kindertransport and the crucial role played by Harwich and Dovercourt.
The Kindertransport was an organised rescue effort that took place prior to the outbreak of WWII. The United Kingdom received nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland, who were placed in foster homes, hostels, schools and farms. In many cases they were the only member of their family to survive the Holocaust. The port of Harwich was the main point of entry for most of the 10,000 children who came to Britain on the Kindertransport from December 1938 to the outbreak of war in September 1939. Almost 2,000 children spent their first weeks at the Dovercourt holiday camp located just two miles from the Harwich docks.
Essex based artist Ian Wolter has been commissioned to create a bronze, life-sized sculpture which will evoke the arrival of the children from the ship. Wolter’s work has received numerous prizes including the Arte Laguna Prize (Venice, 2016) and RomArt Sculpture Prize (Rome, 2017) and he has been shortlisted for Passion for Freedom, London. You can see below the picture updates of Wolter’s incredible first figure for the new sculpture.
Under Prism the Gift Fund’s auspices, Harwich Kindertransport Memorial Appeal Collective Fund will fundraise from the public towards this project. The sculpture will support the Harwich Kindertransport Memorial Appeal’s educational programme which will ensure that the testimonials, experiences, and contributions of all those involved is preserved and celebrated. Existing memorials trace the journey of the children from Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Gdańsk, Hamburg, and to the Hook of Holland, before reaching Liverpool Street Station. However, Harwich is absent on the route. They aim to create a new Kindertransport town trail with information boards around Harwich and Dovercourt, along with an audio bench offering a unique educational experience.
If you want to learn more about how to set up a Collective Fund at Prism the Gift Fund, get in touch today.
