IT WAS THE march that brought London to a standstill. Hundreds of thousands of people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds snaked their way for three miles from the banks of the Thames to Hyde Park via the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square.

And Swindon made its presence felt with two coachloads of people from the town making the short trip down the M4.

Computer programmers Steve and Suzanne Jones, both 44, from Fairford, said that the march conjured up memories of the 80s when whole neighbourhoods campaigned for nuclear disarmament.

Mr Jones said: "In the 80s people did that. It was a community thing to go and support the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

"We both feel this is a very important cause. We shouldn't be going into Iraq."

As the marchers trailed through central London, shop and restaurant managers stood nervously outside their premises, ready to bolt doors at the first sign of trouble.

But this was a peace march and in spite of the massive crowds there was never the slightest hint of trouble.

What it didn't lack was passion. Songs, chants and banners were directed squarely at Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W Bush.

Neither did it lack diversity, with peace loving students, trade unionists and devout Muslims all walking side by side in aid of a common goal to put a stop to preparations for war by Britain and America.

With so many thousands of people taking part in the march, it was hard to conclude they did not have a point.

One of the youngest protesters from Swindon was Ellie Hopkins, 15, a pupil at the Ridgeway School.

She said: "We had a debate about the war at school and the majority of people were against it.

"I think Tony Blair is ignoring the feelings of the British people because he just wants to be on good terms with Bush."

At Hyde Park, the peace protesters joined a rally where speakers included London Mayor Ken Livingstone, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Rev Peter Price, and Dr Iqbal Sacrani of the Muslim Council of Britain.

The march officially started at 12.30pm but at 3.30pm in Hyde Park it was announced that people were still at the starting point.

The flood of people seemed to take the organisers by surprise, and some parties had difficulty locating their coaches for the home journey.

But with more than 100 coaches coming from Birmingham alone, this was hardly a surprise.

Marcher Azim Khan, 62, from Liden, is a senior member of the Thamesdown Islamic Association.

He said: "We were expecting to take one coach to London but to take two coaches full of people shows how much feeling there is in Swindon against the war.

"I'm very impressed by the diversity of people on the march, a lot of women, children and elderly people. I think it can make a difference. If they invade Iraq then what next? Will it be Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India or Yemen?"