Nazi survivor educated in Oswestry celebrated nationally as part of Refugee Week
The moving story of a woman who was educated in Oswestry after escaping the Nazis’ reign of terror as a child is being highlighted nationally as part of Refugee Week.
Entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley was due to revisit Shropshire in April to tell her inspirational story at a seminar organised by the Ellesmere Sculpture Initiative.
The talk was part of a project to mark the centenary of the Save the Children charity, founded by Shropshire-born sisters Eglantyne Jebb and Dorothy Buxton.
The 86-year-old Nazi survivor was also due to be honoured at a civic reception organised by Oswestry Town Council, but both events were called off due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Dame Stephanie’s presentation is now being featured on the official website for Refugee Weeks, which runs from April 15 to 22. It is also available on Ellesmere Sculpture Initiative's website.
As the five-year-old daughter of a Jewish German lawyer, she fled Nazi-occupied Austria by train before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 and was brought to safety through the Kindertransport programme which rescued thousands of refugee children.
She arrived in Britain with her older sister, Renate, penniless and without a word of English. She eventually came to Oswestry where she was looked after by foster parents and educated at the former Girls’ High School.
Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees. Founded in 1998 and held every year around World Refugee Day on June 20, Refugee Week is also a growing global movement that encourages positive encounters between communities, helping them to connect and learn from each other, and promoting a culture of welcome.
