MULTI-COLOURED balloons and banners will fill Oxford city centre on Monday as hundreds of people of all religious beliefs join together.

The event will be the city’s seventh interfaith friendship walk and between 400 and 600 people are expected to gather at the Oxford synagogue, in Richmond Road, Jericho.

The walkers will head to St Mary the Virgin Church, in Radcliffe Square, then to the Oxford Central Mosque, in Manzil Way.

The event was launched in the wake of the war in Iraq in 2003 to show solidarity between Christians and Muslims in the city.

The following year, representatives from the Jewish community joined the walk, and this year there will be walkers from eight different faiths, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Baha’i and Brahma Kumaris.

Founder the Rev Charlotte Bannister-Parker said: “Some people do the whole walk, others join us at the church and most of the Muslim community meet us at the mosque.

“Last year we had an olive tree in each of the major places of workshop, and all the major faith leaders watered them and put earth on the trees.

“We will water those olive trees again as a symbol of peace and unity.”

The walk starts at the synagogue at 6.30pm and will arrive at the church at about 7pm. It will finish at the mosque at about 8pm, where a buffet of Islamic and Jewish food will be provided.

Prayers are said at each of the locations.

Mrs Bannister-Parker said: “In this current climate with problems in the Middle East and issues with Gaza and Israel, it’s a beacon of hope and light that people can rise above their differences and walk together.”

For the first time, there will be a banner competition, with people taking part in the walk challenged to make colourful displays to take along.

These will then be turned into an art exhibition, to be taken around schools along with photographs of the walk.

Mrs Bannister-Parker said it was hoped that the exhibition would give the walk year-round impact in terms of education.