THE Bishop of Dorchester, the Rt Rev Colin Fletcher, will join the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in London today to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.

The Walk of Witness is described as "a public act of remembrance, repentance and restoration".

The Archbishops' party will leave Whitehall at 11.30am, walk past Parliament into Millbank, over Lambeth Bridge and to Kennington Park in time for an open-air Act of Worship at 2.30pm.

The service will be led by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York alongside church leaders from the West Indies and Ghana.

Bishop Colin, who will be accompanied by Raj Patel, the Diocesan adviser for racial justice, said: "This march will remind us of the appalling horrors of the slave trade, but will also, I hope, spur us on to challenge the systems that still lead to millions of people being held in slavery today."

The 200th anniversary is being marked in different ways across the diocese. Tomorrow, there will be a special service of commemoration at Christ Church in Oxford at 6pm.

The service will include gospel music, dance, drama prayers and readings, and is being organised jointly by the African and African-Caribbean Cultural Heritage Initiative, Churches Together in Oxfordshire, and the Cathedral.

A number of churches are looking at the history of the abolition of slavery in Lent study groups, and some are organising local events or services to mark the anniversary.