MEMBERS of Mahdlo Youth Zone headed for Manchester city centre as Manchester International Festival got underway with the Bells For Peace event at Cathedral Gardens.

Acting as the opening ceremony for the three week festival, Bells For Peace saw hundreds of people from across the city and beyond, gather to celebrate and send a message of peace to the world by ringing out a chorus of bells.

The public spectacle was the brainchild of Yoko Ono, and Mahdlo staff and members wasted no time getting in on the action and joining in with festivities by bringing along their own bells to ring and flags to wave.

Steve Beal, arts coordinator at Mahdlo Youth Zone, said: “It was great for our young people to get the chance to be a part of such a huge event for Manchester and everyone really got into the spirit of it.

“To be surrounded by so many people celebrating peace through the arts really was something and our members certainly enjoyed getting involved with the spectacle – we’re the ones with the big yellow flags in the photos.”

Manchester International Festival launched in 2007 as an artist-led festival presenting new works from across all areas of performing arts, visual arts and popular culture.