The Tin Ring
1308. Zdenka Fantlova
Zdenka Fantlova, aged 97, is a Holocaust survivor who travels across the UK telling her story of surviving the atrocities of 6 concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, to schoolchildren.
Zdenka’s fiancé, Arno, died in the camps but she managed to keep hold of the ring he gifted her before they were separated which formed the basis of her autobiography ‘The Tin Ring’. This award coincides with Holocaust Memorial Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
In a personal letter to Zdenka, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“I know you do this with no thought of praise or reward, but allow me to offer my own gratitude for so bravely keeping your story alive and educating people across the country about the atrocities of the Holocaust. Without survivors like you having the courage to tell their stories, we might never understand what you, and millions of others, experienced. Your strength of character and optimism are an example to us all.”