Set them free...

On 25 March, 1807, the transatlantic slave trade was declared illegal in the British Empire by the House of commons, after  years of campaigning by William Wilberforce and the Abolitionist Movement.

200 years later the world commemorates this momentous day that signalled a glimpse of an end to a bloody and dehumanising trade.

Bicentenary events, however, are tinged with the knowledge that today’s world contains more slavery than in Wilberforce’s day. An estimated 27 million people live in slavery today, in modern forms such as sex trafficking, child soldiers and addiction.

Christ Church Cathedral on 25 March will ring to the sounds of gospel music, dance and drama, as the story of the Abolitionist Movement and the continuing story of slavery in the world today is explored. The service is organised by the African & African-Caribbean Kultural Heritage Initiative, Churches Together in Oxfordshire and the Cathedral, It is open to the public and begins at 6pm.

On 24 March, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York will lead thousands of Christians, including the Bishop of Dorchester through London on a ‘Walk of Witness’ following a formal apology by General Synod in 2006.

Organisers say the walk will acknowledge the lasting legacy of the slave trade.

Amazing Grace

Hollywood and Olney in Buckinghamshire have a common focus this month as the film ‘Amazing Grace’ opens in cinemas across the UK on 23 March.

The Revd John Newton is a central figure in the film which tells the inspiring story of William Wilberforce’s spiritual and moral quest to end slavery in the early 19th century.

Newton was a slave-trader turned Christian and ardent abolitionist.

He was also curate for some years in Olney where he penned the world-famous Amazing Grace - one of the Olney Hymns.

Albert Finney plays Newton in ‘Amazing Grace’, with Welsh Heartthrob Ioan Gruffud (pictured) as Wilberforce and Youssou N’Dour as the black abolitionist Olaudah Equiano. Michael Apted directs.

Olney is commemorating the bicentenary year with services, and events such as Life Path, at which schoolchildren will learn about Newton’s life and faith. The public can also find out more about Newton at the Cowper and Newton Museum in the village.

Walden Media, producers of the film Amazing Grace are inviting churches to join others around the globe on 25 March in singing Amazing Grace and in praying for the end of slavery once and for all: www.amazinggracesunday.com