A PEACEFUL protest through Andover is set to be held next weekend, to mark one year since the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. USA.

People will gather at Vigo Road Recreation Ground on Saturday, May 22, at 12.15pm and walk silently through the town, in a socially-distanced formation.

Advertising the event, organisers Katie Garwood and Lydia Graham, who run the Stand Together Andover Facebook group, wrote: “Together we will march in unity to end racism and discrimination for good.

“We will come together as a community and as an organisation - to support and empower one another, to listen and learn.

“We will march to show what it will truly means to be anti-racist.”

The event follows the pair’s organisation of a Black Lives Matter march in the town last year, after George Floyd’s death on May 25 2020.

More than 150 people turned out for a silent march through the streets of Andover in a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, which saw thousands of people across the country and world protest after a white police officer knelt on Mr Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.

Speaking to the Advertiser at the time, Katie said: “Me and Lydia were having a conversation about racism, about George Floyd, about being angry and being sad, just so many emotions going through our heads. And Lydia was the one who said, ‘let’s do something’.”

Lydia added: “People don’t think racism is a thing over here, and it’s so frustrating.

“Obviously a lot of it is hidden in systems and policies, but those who are black and living in our town, they will be able to tell you about it.”

And the latest event may be perfectly timed, after a heartfelt anonymous post on a community Facebook group on May 14 called on Andover residents to “be kind” after the poster's bi-racial seven-year-old daughter was the target of racism at school.

“We live in Andover and we like living here,” it read.

“This is an appeal to parents of all races and ethnicities, please educate the next generation. Racism is something that can actually end because it’s based on an idea that is frankly rather ignorant. Teach them that we shouldn’t hate people because of how they look. Celebrate differences, be curious about those differences and learn about those differences.

“My daughter is only 7, she has a long way to go yet. Please can we be kind, if we all did our bit, we really can change the world.”

For more information on the event, visit @StandTogetherAndover on Instagram or Facebook.