Paper cranes mark Hiroshima anniversary

Rebecca Bollands, deputy head at Earlsdon Primary School, said it was important the Coventry pupils learnt abut experiences of other children

A service is to be held in Coventry to mark the 79th anniversary of atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War II.

The city, which suffered extensive destruction during the war, has marked the anniversary for almost 40 years.

Schoolchildren from Hiroshima make and send colourful origami cranes to Coventry every year in memory of a young girl who lived near to the explosion and later died of leukaemia.

The Hiroshima Day Remembrance will be held in the chapel of unity at Coventry Cathedral from 18:00 BST with music, poetry and making paper cranes for peace.

Pupils in Japan send paper cranes to Coventry each year for the service

Rebecca Bollands, deputy head at Earlsdon Primary School, said the two cities have strong links with representatives on each side visiting one another over the years.

"The connection is we are an international centre for peace and reconciliation and we've had very close links with Hiroshima because although we didn't suffer anything like the atrocities in Hiroshima, we also suffered during World War II and we saw the destruction and the horrors of war on our doorstep," she said.

The cranes are made to remember Sadako Sasaki who was two years old when the bomb went off. She was exposed to radiation and died 10 years later.

However, she made over 600 paper cranes during her illness after being told of a legend that if she made 1,000, she could have a wish.

In Japan the crane is considered to be a mythical creature that was said to live for a thousand years and as a symbol of longevity, the making of them has now come to symbolise hope and peace because of Sadako, organsers of the service said.

The cranes are sent to schools in Coventry each year