"Asylum seekers here to stay, Fortress Europe no way!
"Single parents have their rights, we won't give up without a fight!
"No more workfare, no more schemes, we won't pay for the bosses' dreams!"
Local activists marched with us through the town centres and in some cases between the towns.
The Lancashire Association of Trades Councils did a fantastic job organising this part of the route. Everywhere there was a welcome and a meeting or a social, varying in scale depending on the size of the town or even village.
Our principal themes were unemployment across Europe, the effects of the single currency, and opposition to the Job Seekers Allowance. We occupied Job Centres in Bury and Oldham, and made protests about the JSA, the treatment of claimants, the pressures on the staff and the rates of pay for jobs on offer.
In Greater Manchester, activists from Groundswell joined the marches for 2 days, accompanied by their goat, sporting placards: "Don't scapegoat the unemployed" and "You must be kidding!" This mascot was far from popular with Job Centre managers.
In Manchester, local activists joined us for a lunchtime demo through the city centre, and in the evening we held a meeting and discussion with 50 supporters.
In Liverpool, several hundred people marched, many of them sacked Liverpool dockers who have supported the march from the start.
After a day in Birkenhead, with a music festival in support of the march in the afternoon, the march moved on to Deesside where it occupied a Magnet showroom protesting at the sacking of the Magnet workers.
In Chester on May 28, the marchers tried to support the TUC day of action (or more accurately, inaction) for the unemployed, but were obstructed by officers from the city council.
In Wrexham, the march was welcomed warmly by Labour Party members, before demonstrating through the town in defiance of a 500 year old by-law prohibiting such protests. Our new slogan for the march was "Freedom of speech for Wrexham".
Next were Crewe, the Potteries, Stone, Stafford, and Cannock. In Wolverhampton, we were welcomed at the Lucas factory by shop stewards, members of the Trades Council and the Indian Workers Association, before a march through the town to a civic reception.
The Wolverhampton Unemployed Centre did us proud with hot food and karaoke, while the council held the public baths open late for the marchers' allimportant shower. From Wolverhampton, we headed into Greater Birmingham for marches through local town centres including a rally with the Sandwell NUT and Trades Council, then back into Dudley for another civic reception.
By the time the two marches converged in Birmingham on May 31 the north west leg had over 20 marchers, whilst another 10 or so had been with us at various times during the route.
Marchers included a member of the National Executive of the Bakers' Union and 2 international marchers.
We had taken the message about unemployment, the welfare state and Europe into over 30 towns and several major cities and we were looking forward to the march down to London and across to Amsterdam.