Women and girls marched through Verulamium Park to mark International Women’s Day.

Around 50 people dressed in blue and stood on the bridge over the boating lake to raise awareness of the cause, which is aimed at educating and empowering women, on Sunday.

Mayor of St Albans Annie Brewster, Margeret Chapman, headteacher’ at St Albans Girls School, Girl Guides and Hertfordshire Asian Women’s Association joined the event, which was organised by the city’s branch of Soroptimist International.

During the afternoon women and girls marched and chanted the song lyrics from Abba’s ‘I have a dream’ and the popular The New Seekers ‘I’d like to teach the world to sing’.

Jane Slatter, a member of the organisation, said: "It was an absolutely fantastic event, where a mix of people and ages turned out.

"The theme of our day was education, which is paramount in this society. It was brilliant. It is important that we show solidarity together."

During the event members of the group gave speeches about the organisation and spoke to residents about the aim of the day.

The city’s mayor said: "Well done for inspiring so many women and for empowering them to not only make a difference to their own lives but to the lives of others."

Demonstrators were also given a copy of ‘ I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban’,  a memoir of Malala Yousafza, a Pakistani school girl and education activist from the town of Mingora.