Josh Sandiford
BBC News, West Midlands

Glenn Randall, a Tottenham Hotspur fan, is from London and travelled to Birmingham yesterday to take part in the wreath laying organised by supporters.

He is a friend of Julie Hambleton, who has become one of the most prominent pub bombings advocates after losing her sister Maxine.

Mr Randall, who has helped to raise more than £10,000 for the Justice for the 21 campaign through sponsored walks, said the 50th anniversary marked a big moment.

"Football fans get given the wrong impression," he said. "We get told we're football hooligans or whatever but we've all got big hearts.

"This is not about teams. This is about getting together, joining up and being as one.

"Match days we wouldn't be seen together but everyone stands together [today] and I think it's great."

A one-minute silence, organised by the Birmingham Irish Association, will be held at 14:00 GMT.

Birmingham City Football Club is among those who have supported it on social media.

Writing on X, external, the club said: "We are inviting everyone to join our staff and players in helping bring Birmingham to a standstill for one minute.

"This is to not only remember the 21 people whose lives were lost but also recognise the acts of bravery from those in the emergency services."

Image source, X

Josh Sandiford
BBC News, West Midlands

More from Birmingham-native David Taylor, who has organised the wreath procession through Birmingham.

He was 10 when the bomb went off and did not lose anybody in the blasts, but he said most people his age "know somebody who knows somebody".

There were about a dozen people present at St Andrew's where the walk started this morning, but more are expected to join.

"We could have three people and a dog walking but we could have 300," he said. "We just have no idea."

Mr Taylor said fans would be representing teams from all over the country, including from London, Grimsby, Glasgow and Belfast.

"There's no colours," he said. "It's all about justice for the 21 today."

Mr Taylor said there's even a Birmingham City FC group walking somewhere in Australia.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham pub bombings.

On the evening of 21 November 1974, 21 people died after bombs exploded in city centre pubs The Mulberry Bush and The Tavern in the Town. Another 220 were injured.

The IRA was widely believed to be behind the attacks, but has never formally admitted responsibility.

Relatives, survivors and dignitaries will gather at two memorial services in the city, with everyone asked to observe a one-minute silence at 14:00 GMT.

The first event, for invited guests, will start at 13:45 by the tree sculpture memorial at New Street Station.

A public service at Birmingham Cathedral, led by the Bishop and Archbishop of Birmingham, begins at 17:00.

To honour the victims, Birmingham City FC supporter David Taylor is walking from St Andrew’s stadium at about 09:30 to the former pubs’ locations to lay wreaths.

The exterior facade of Birmingham’s library will also be lit up in commemoration.

A survivor and a former police officer share their memories of the bombing attacks in 1974.

The first bomb exploded about 20:18 GMT at The Mulberry Bush, which lay at the bottom of the city’s iconic Rotunda building.

Two minutes later, a second device detonated at the Tavern in the Town, a New Street hangout popular with young adults.

A total of seven women and 14 men aged between 16 and 56 died in the blasts, and another 220 were injured.

The names of those killed were: Michael Beasley, John Rowlands, Stanley Bodman, John Clifford Jones, James Caddick, Neil Marsh, Paul Davies, Maxine Hambleton, Jane Davis, Stephen Whalley, Lynn Bennett, Desmond Reilly, Eugene Reilly, Marilyn Nash, Anne Hayes, Charles Gray, Thomas Chaytor, Pamela Palmer, Maureen Roberts, Trevor Thrupp and James Craig.

Image source, Birmingham Inquests

Josh Sandiford
BBC News, West Midlands

I’m at St Andrew’s where a short time ago, a procession left for a six-mile (10km) walk around the city to honour victims 50 years on.

Football supporters from all West Midlands teams and some even further afield will lay wreaths.

They will start by visiting Edgbaston Cricket Ground before heading to the city centre to pay their respects at the sites where the bombs exploded five decades ago.

It’s been organised by David Taylor, a Birmingham City fan and Justice for the 21 campaigner of more than a decade.

He told me that when it comes to this, you forget what team you’re from and come together as one.

We understand a wreath will also be laid at Villa Park by a separate delegation.

Today Birmingham remembers the two attacks that claimed 21 lives and injured many more.

Thank you for joining us as we cover the memorial events being held across the city throughout the day.

We'll be bringing you live updates, and sharing the stories of some of those affected by the attacks.