Residents of Axbridge held a short ceremony in the town square to mark their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Yesterday (June 7) at 2pm a group of between 50 and 100 people gathered in front of the church steps to "take the knee" and to hear Rachel Hobson read the black poet American Maya Angelou's Still I Rise.

The event was organised by locals and members of the newly formed Facebook Axbridge Community Group who requested appropriate social distancing from those participating due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Gemma Trickey who attended said: "A few tears were shed (including Rachel but she kept it together heroically) and generally a feeling of heightened emotion pervaded as she read the poem in a passionate voice.

"A round of applause ensued, and from chatting briefly with a few people before the crowd dispersed, the mood was positive and supportive in respect to the Black Lives Matter movement."

The event was set against the widespread international demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter following the death of the black American George Floyd in police custody.