A WEE COUNTY school has been selected to feature in a national art exhibition as part of the anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation.

A memorial flame created by personal support group Arty Stuff from Alva Academy has been selected by a distinguished panel of judges to feature in the gallery to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The artwork is one of 75 memorial flames chosen to represent each year since the liberation of Auschwitz.

These will be displayed at an exhibition which is set to be unveiled at the UK Ceremony for Holocaust Memorial Day in London on January 27, at which numerous VIPs are expected to be in attendance.

More than 300 groups from across the country registered to take part in the nationwide competition launched by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) to encourage more people to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust.

Speaking about the group's inspiration for getting involved in the project, Caroline Cumming, the RMPS teacher who led the project said it gave the pupils a chance to think more about the Holocaust.

She said: "Being involved in creating our Holocaust Flame enabled us to think more deeply about the Holocaust and those that were affected as a result. It allowed them to complete their own act of remembrance which will stay with them for years to come.

"The pupils who took part are really pleased that their hard work and determination has resulted in their flame being selected for the exhibition".

Scott McEwan, head teacher at Alva, said: "We are honoured to have been chosen to be part of this magnificent exhibition. Our young people stun us each and every day with their creativity, energy and imagination and to see it dedicated to something so important and relevant is inspiring.

"As a school community we are committed to living and breathing our core values of equality, respect and service to others. I am proud to say that our young people have embodied these values throughout this project."

The '75 Memorial Flames' competition was launched with the creation of a sculpture by artist and survivor of the Holocaust, Maurice Blik, who was liberated from Bergen-Belsen concentration camp as a child.

The project is part of a wider programme of events devised by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust to enable people to take part in Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) and learn from the horrors of genocide.

The panellists judging the competition were Sarah Donaldson, arts editor at the Observer; Nick Sharratt, renowned illustrator and author; Kathleen Soriano, chair of the Liverpool Biennial, and judge on SkyArts Artist of the Year; Anita Peleg, HMDT trustee and daughter of Naomi Blake, a sculptor and Holocaust survivor; and Olivia Marks-Woldman, chief executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.