Holocaust survivors who have never previously told their story have been urged to come forward so that their testimony can be recorded for posterity.

Sir Peter Bazalgette, chairman of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, said there was an urgent need to ensure ageing survivors' stories were saved to help teach future generations.

The foundation - formed as a result of David Cameron's year-long commission into Shoah education in Britain - is now conducting an international audit of testimony in the hope of identifying gaps in archive material.

Sir Peter appealed to JC readers to help uncover untold stories and provide the "bedrock" of what will become Britain's national Holocaust learning centre. He said the audit would establish what testimony already exists, where it is held and how it has been recorded, before attempting to ensure the records are in formats that can be accessed in the future.

Sir Peter said: "We urgently want to hear from survivors who have never told their story but would like the opportunity to do so.

"Survivor testimony is our most powerful educational tool. It is essential to Britain's leading academic work and our best defence against prejudice and denial. The stories of these remarkable individuals will be the bedrock of everything we will go on to do in the national learning centre and in education projects around the country."

The independent foundation aims to build a national Shoah memorial by 2017 and the learning centre in central London by 2020.

Sir Peter, the television producer who brought Big Brother to British screens 15 years ago, said he would require the "advice and support" of the Jewish community at every stage of the group's work.

The JC supported an unprecedented gathering of survivors at Wembley Stadium last April as part of the commission's work.

Survivors who wish to record their testimony can email the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation at UKHMF@cabinetoffice.gov.uk or write to The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, PO Box 72270, London, SW1P 9WU.