About us

HMD has taken place in the UK since 2001, with a UK Commemorative Ceremony and more than 10,000 local activities taking place all across the UK on or around 27 January each year.

The UK played a leading role in establishing HMD as an international day of commemoration in 2000, when 46 governments signed the Stockholm Declaration.

The UK Government had responsibility for running HMD from 2001-2005, organised through the Home Office.

In May 2005 HMDT was registered as a charity (charity no: 1109348) and the Home Secretary appointed HMDT Trustees for the first time. The professional team started work in October 2005.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (previously know as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) has funded our work since 2007.

To date, we have overseen massive growth of local HMD activities. We have worked in partnership with many organisations to ensure the life stories of survivors are shared with hundreds of thousands of people. 

Our Impact

In April 2024 we published the HMD 2024 Impact Report (PDF, 2MB), which showcases the impact HMD 2024 had on people across the UK and how we are achieving the five goals which guide our organisation. With reflections on HMD across the UK, HMD 2024 projects, the UK Online Commemoration and more, this publication explores how thousands of organisations and individuals marked HMD 2024. 

We are governed by a Board of Trustees, which is made up of a diverse range of individuals and organisations. Our Trustees set the strategic vision and have responsibility for the governance of the charity. 

We are privileged that His Majesty The King is Patron of HMDT.