ORGANISERS have reported an "excellent response" to the opening of a exhibition about the Dutch child war diarist Anne Frank.

The Worcester Cathedral exhibition, which aims to challenge racism, prejudice and anti-Semitism, runs throughout January in the nave and has been busy since its opening last Friday.

"We've had an excellent response," said Steve Quick, arts development officer at Worcester City Council. "It was crowded on Saturday. The buzz is getting hotter.

"Over the weekend we had our first project completed when young people made their own play over two days and then performed it."

The national exhibition features photographs from the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, from where the family were captured by the Nazis and transported to concentration camps.

Organisers underlined both the prestigious and educational nature of the exhibition. Mr Quick said: "It's quite a feather in our cap to get it.

"Two years ago we saw it somewhere else and were impressed. It fits in very well with the diversity and anti-racism work we're doing in schools. And given the events of September 11, it's remarkably prescient."

Over 3,000 school children, including many from Malvern, will visit and educational sessions are already booked up.

But organisers are keen to stress the event is open to everybody. "We hope the children will come back with their parents and friends," said Mr Quick.

Alongside the exhibition is work by two local artists, Sheila Millward and Rebecca Birtwhistle, exploring responses to Nazi concentration camps and Anne Frank.

An Act of Remembrance will be held around the exhibition on January 27 for National Holocaust Memorial Day. Admission is free to the exhibition, which continues until the end of January. It is open from Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5pm.