The Bishop of Bradford led an estimated 2,000 people in the nation's biggest protest march through the city against the impending war in Iraq.

Clutching a banner calling for peace, The Right Reverend David James spearheaded Saturday's peaceful protest, which attracted people from across the north of England.

And after the two-mile walk from Lister Park he told the crowds packed into Centenary Square that they were 'just ordinary people who believed in peace'.

"All of us here have surprised ourselves because we are ordinary people who do not go in for this sort of thing," he said. "But we came here because we believe in peace and we want peace."

"War in Iraq means that children like these will be killed and lose their mothers and fathers."

The day of protest began in historic Lister Park, where crowds clutched brightly coloured banners and signs daubed with anti-war slogans.

There were mums with pushchairs, teenagers with brightly coloured hair, groups of pensioners and vicars. Many who gathered at the foot of Joseph Lister's gleaming white statue sang and read prayers pleading for peace in Iraq.

Everyone had the same message to Prime Minister Tony Blair and his US counterpart George Bush: 'Don't fight this war in our name'.

Fuad Sandhu, of Manningham, had brought his five young children along to the protest. "There is every class of people from every walk of life here today and they will not be fooled what this war is about," he said.

The chaplain of Bradford University and Bradford College, Andii Bowsher, said he had felt moved to join in the protest which coincided with marches in Washington, Moscow, Tokyo and around the world.

"I feel very passionately about this and thought it was important that I turned out today," he said. "I think something like this can help the people who make decisions realise there are a lot of people who feel so strongly."

Margaret Fielden, 65, a member of Baildon Peace Group, said she believed public opinion was turning against the war. "We are appalled by the idea that any power should make an unprovoked attack and destabilise the whole of the Middle East," she said.

Nine-year-old Len Collett, of Under-cliffe, said he hoped the world's leaders would listen to their message of peace.

Shortly before 1pm, the crowd was ushered through the park gates and into Manningham Lane. It was led by the Bishop David and the former Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq, both clutching a white banner bearing the slogan 'Don't Bomb Iraq'.

Accompanied by the uplifting sound of the Bradford Peace Artists steel band, the protesters - some complaining about Israel's treatment of Palestinians - sang and chanted as they walked.

Curious residents and shoppers spilled into the streets and passing cars sounded their horns in support.

The police helicopter buzzed overhead and mounted police trotted alongside but the procession was entirely peaceful.

Once in Centenary Square, Bradford West Labour MP Marsha Singh addressed the crowd and said the turnout showed the solidarity of Bradford and Yorkshire people against war.

He called for the Government to give MPs the right to vote on the prospect of war. "I cannot, I will not and must not vote for this war," he said.

"I have not seen one single justification for it. The way to get disarmament is through peaceful means. We want schools and hospitals, not bombs and bullets."

Coun Mukhtar Ali (Lab, Bowling) said he was moved by the huge attendance. "Your message and my message is this - give peace a chance," he said.

The Reverend Geoff Reid, of the Bradford Touchstone project, said the success of the protest had been good news for the city. "The whole afternoon passed off peacefully," he said. "We certainly had steps for peace in a spectacular way through Manningham."

Detective Inspector Steve Reed, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "The event passed off peacefully and there were no arrests."