HOPE80 to launch from Rome, London, and Glastonbury in Summer 2025

In June 2025, on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, a historic global peacebuilding pilgrimage—HOPE80—will begin its journey around the world.

The grandchildren and great-grandchildren of major WWII figures—including Sir Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, President Harry S. Truman, and Prime Minister Hideki Tojo—will travel together as ambassadors of peace, carrying the Flame of Hope, a sacred fire uniting spiritual and historical traditions.

The delegation includes:

• Tushar Gandhi – Great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi

• Lucy Sandys – Great-granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill

• Clifton Truman Daniel - Eldest grandson of Harry S. Truman

• Jennifer Teege – Granddaughter of Nazi commandant Amon Göth

• Hidetoshi Tojo – Great-grandson of Hideki Tojo

• Magali Brosh – Daughter of Auschwitz survivor Ester Solzki

Mr Gandhi will be accompanied by the great-granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill, the great-grandson of President Harry Truman, and the great-grandson of former Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo. 

“My great-grandfather would have confronted the forces of hate and violence in the forefront and received blows and bullets without anger or malice in his heart, but with kindness and a smile on his face,” says Mr Gandhi. “I pledge to make this world a more peaceful and compassionate place.”

The Global Launch

The pilgrimage will begin at the Vatican in Rome, where the delegates have been invited to attend the General Audience with Pope Leo on Wednesday, June 18th, at 9:00 AM.

In the United Kingdom, just days after their audience with the Pope, and taking inspiration from the Beatles, the HOPE80 delegates will create the iconic Abbey Road zebra crossing photograph on Sunday, June 22nd, at 11:30 AM. Descendants of the Beatles have been invited to take part in the iconic photo entitled: "Illuminating the Path to Peace: Soul music and the Flame of Hope’s Global Journey."

Just two days later, the HOPE80 delegates have been invited to host a press reception and drop-in event at the U.K. Parliament on Tuesday, June 24th at 12:30 PM at Portcullis House, Room R. 

After their visit to Parliament, the descendants along with Japanese world music ensemble Aminadabu, will travel to the Glastonbury Music Festival where they will be featured on the Pyramid Stage at the opening ceremony as well as offer talks, workshops, and performances on several of the festival’s main stages.

About HOPE80

HOPE80 is a global intergenerational peace initiative that began in March 2025 in Lumbini, Nepal—the birthplace of the Buddha—and continues throughout the year, with events in:

• Rome, Italy – Vatican visit and the 2nd Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue

• United Kingdom - London and the Glastonbury Music Festival

• Jerusalem, Israel-Palestine – The People’s Summit

• Alkmaar, the Netherlands – Liberation Festival and National Dutch Peace Week

• Vienna, Austria – Interfaith Peace Prayer, Diocese Eisenstadt

• Osaka, Japan – World Expo Forum

“By acting as living examples for peace, we will aim to transfer our message across the nations of the globe,” says Lucy Sandys, great granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill. “Our ancestors were once enemies, but we will become today's friends, and act as living symbols, like the Flame of Hope, to create a new and brighter page of human history.”

Also joining the tour will be Ms Jennifer Teege, the black granddaughter of SS Nazi concentration camp commander  Amon Göth, and author of the international best-selling book My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past.

At Glastonbury, the Flame of Hope will be joined by a team of Israeli and Palestinian leaders committed to peace who have worked for reconciliation and change in Israel, Palestine and globally.

Toward a Nuclear Free World

Summer 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This historic milestone makes the launch of HOPE 80 especially urgent—a timely opportunity to lay the foundation for a nuclear-free, peaceful future by transforming the suffering of the past into a brighter path forward for all.

​Descendants whose ancestors were once enemies will travel together and become today's friends, hoping to act as living symbols, like the Flame of Hope, to create a new and brighter page of human history.