Christians Remember Bicentenary of Abolition of Slavery

Christians from across south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will commit themselves to fighting modern-day slavery this weekend, 23 to 25 March, as they remember the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

Churchgoers from the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth will travel to London on Saturday (March 24) for the Walk of Witness to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.

They will join the Archbishops of Canterbury and York for a silent walk through the streets of central London to remember the brutal treatment of Africans who died on slave ships or suffered on plantations.

The next day (March 25) - designated as 'Freedom Day' - will see BBC Radio 3's Evensong broadcast from Portsmouth Cathedral at 4pm to signify the role that the city played in the slave trade. The Anglican Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Kenneth Stevenson, who is recovering from leukaemia, will record his sermon for the broadcast at home.

College chaplains will take it in turns to be locked in a cage outside St Vincent College, Gosport, on Friday (March 23) to draw students' attention to the issue of modern-day slavery. The seven chaplains will take it in turns to sit in the cage for an hour at a time, giving out leaflets to students.