TEARS were shed and prayers for peace were said as hundreds of all faiths and none gathered to remember those who died in the terror attack in New Zealand.

A vigil to honour the 50 killed in Christchurch mosque shootings was held this afternoon.

It was organised by Bolton's Faith Leaders Forum to "show sympathy and support to the people of New Zealand".

Canon Chris Bracegirdle, chairman of the forum, opened the act of remembrance, which was attended by representative of different faiths and community leaders.

He said: "This horrific and senseless violence has no place in any world faith. So it is imperative at such times that people of all faiths come together to profess our shared humanity and to work for peace, freedom, justice and compassion.

"We must not allow the forces of hatred and ignorance to destroy the values of community we have built together, no less than this town of Bolton.

"So we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to continue to work together to work together for a more humane world."

This was followed by a reading from the Quran.

The Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Elaine Sherrington said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed in last week's attacks in Christchurch and with all the people of New Zealand at this tragic time.

"Bolton is home to many people of diverse faiths and backgrounds, and we are united against all acts of hate and violence.

"Here in Bolton, and at events like this across the world, we send a strong message that terrorism and extremist ideology will never win."

Speakers also included Imeteyaz Ali Secretary of Bolton Council of Mosques and many other community organisations.

The names of the victims were read out by Karen Haddad, a member of the local Muslim community.

After each name was read out, the Mayor of Bolton Cllr Sherrington lit a candle in their memory.

Victoria Square fell silent for one minute.

A prayer by Canon Bracegirdle brought the service to a close.

Speaking after the service, Bolton South-East MP Yasmin Qureshi said: "A huge amount of people turned out as the service progressed more and more people joined and it is great to see that and shows that how people in Bolton are very united and how they are affected by the tragic event in New Zealand.

"I want to commend the Prime Minister of New Zealand she has shown what true leadership is like."

Watch the service on The Bolton News Facebook Page