Tony Benn honoured at march

Thousands of people descended upon the town on Monday for the 37th annual Bank Holiday rally, which saw tributes to Mr Benn, Chesterfield’s former MP who died aged 88 in March, as well as Bob Crow, who was general secretary of the RMT union.

The popular event saw a colourful sea of placard-waving marchers weave through the town centre and crowds were addressed by speakers including Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, and Toby Perkins, Labour MP for Chesterfield.

Event organiser Colin Hampton, of Chesterfield Trades Council, said: “It was a great day with about 2,000 people taking part in the march. The tributes to Tony and Bob were special.

“The nice weather definitely helped and there was a real carnival atmosphere in the town.

“We’d like to thank everyone who was involved in this year’s parade. Once again, it was a huge success.”

After the speeches, bands provided live music and crowds flocked to a range of stalls and exhibitions. The traditional May Day gala is one of the biggest in the country.