A PROCESSION through Liverpool city centre was held as part of Slavery Remembrance Day.

The slave trade formed a central part of the city economy in the 1700’s, laying the foundations for its future growth.

Yesterday, the millions of individual victims of the trade were remembered with the “walk of remembrance”.

Hundreds of shoppers lined Church Street and followed on as a traditional band led the procession through Paradise Street to Thomas Steers Way in Liverpool One.

The destination was a symbolic one for being the site of the old dock wall where the slave trade vessels used to berth while in port.

A spokesman for National Museums Liverpool, who organised the event, said last night: “This is something we have always wanted to do.

“Liverpool did make its wealth from slavery, which is quite a hard and moving thing to deal with. As a city, I think we are starting to accept things that happened in the past.

“We wanted to raise awareness as this is one of those events that people might not know a lot about.” Stephanie Price, from Walton, followed the march with her two-year-old son, Lewis.

She said: “His dad is from Ghana so we have seen slavery from both sides at the museums here and over there. My son wanted to follow the band.”

Grandmother Margie Lee, 60, from Childwall, used to take her children to the Town Hall to see where the slaves entered and left the city.

She said: “You can still see where they were unloaded under the little archways. It breaks my heart talking about it. I think this walk will make people more aware of it and more tolerant as well.”

James Soul, 63, from Oxton, who watched the parade, said: “They have Remembrance Day with the poppies for the soldiers, I think it’s good to have a remembrance parade for all those slaves who lost their lives.”