Bristol Bus Boycott's 60th anniversary to be marked

Peaceful protests were organised across Bristol

The 60th anniversary of a pivotal moment in the struggle for equal rights will be marked with a series of events this week.

The events come exactly 60 years since the end of the Bristol Bus Boycott, begun after the city's bus company refused to employ black drivers.

Church bells will ring for four hours as the city remembers the campaign.

A train named after Dr Paul Stephenson, one of the protesters, will also arrive at Bristol's main train station.

The boycott began in August 1963 when the then Bristol Omnibus Company refused to hire black drivers after Guy Bailey, who went on to be awarded an OBE, was barred from a job interview.

• The story of the Bristol Bus Boycott

• Watch: defeating racism

Organisers Paul Stephenson, Audley Evans, Roy Hackett, Owen Henry and Prince Brown defeated the racist colour bar on 28 August, 1963 - the same day Dr Martin Luther King Jr delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington.

The victory in Bristol paved the way for the Race Relations Act 1965 - the UK's first piece of legislation to address racial discrimination.

In a civic ceremony on Wednesday, Reverend Dan Tyndall will unveil four new stained-glass window panes at St Mary Redcliffe Church, replacing some which had shown slave trader Edward Colston.

One design shows Jesus joining the Bristol bus boycott

The designs feature Jesus as a refugee and as a Bristol Bus Boycott protester.

Julz Davis, from think tank Curiosity UnLtd, launched a new campaign earlier this year to keep the focus on racial inequality in Bristol.

He said: "Bristol is a city of radical changemakers. In a year of many anniversaries, the Bristol Bus Boycott stands heads and shoulders above the rest."

Also on Wednesday, a First bus decorated with a new design created by a member of the public will be unveiled, with the art staying on the bus for a year.

The bells of St Mary Redcliffe will begin ringing at 10:00 BST.