The Rev. I. McMaster with members of St. Stephen's Church.

"I regard this as just the beginning of a process of awakening to a belief in God," stated the Bishop of Burnley, the Rt. Rev. Richard C. C. Watson, after leading a contingent of 500 Burnley men in the "march against evil" at Blackburn on Saturday 2nd January 1971. It is estimated that about 7,000 people, mainly men, took part in this five-pronged march through Blackburn's main shopping area to the cathedral. Along with the Bishop at the head of the Burnley area marchers were the Mayor, Ald. E. J. Willis, and Burnley's MP, Mr. Dan Jones. Most churches from the Burnley-Padiham area were represented and many carried banners with the slogan adopted for the march, "For God's sake." The Burnley contingent marched from Lambeth Street in Accrington Road Blackburn, a little less than a mile from the cathedral. They walked with the men from Accrington.

The march was the joint idea of the Bishop of Blackburn, Dr. C. R. Claxton and the Chief Constable of Lancashire, Mr. William Palfrey who walked side by side at the head of the procession as it merged with the four others at the west door of the cathedral. A demonstrator, Mr. G. H. Hobson, of Hale, Cheshire, who carried a banner "If Palfrey is in, then God is out," had his banner broken in a scuffle. He distributed leaflets headed "The need to clean up the Lancashire County Police" making a personal attack on Mr. Palfrey and the police in general. In response the crowd raised a cheer when Mr. J. E. Forrester, secretary of the parochial church council of St. Leonard's Padiham climbed from the path on to the raised grass verge and raised his banner, "For God's sake" in front of Mr. Hobson. But the march could not have gone off better and both the Bishop of Blackburn and the Bishop of Burnley expressed their delight at the way things had gone.

The Bishop of Burnley hopes that an inter-denominational march can take place in Burnley but it his intention to wait until warmer weather can be expected.