A memorial for 15,000 children killed in the Israel-Gaza war was set up at the Orbital Shopping Park.

Around 2,000 sets of children’s clothes were laid on the ground on Saturday, May 11, to visualise the scale of child deaths in the war, which the organisers say is over 15,500 children.

The organisers said they hoped to spread a message of ceasefire among local politicians and residents.

Their memorial appeared close to the office of Justin Tomlinson, the Conservative MP for North Swindon who previously voted against a ceasefire.

Kate Linnegar, who led the volunteer organisers, said: “When you look at the clothes, these little babygrows remind me of when my children were little.

“And the thought that children that small are being killed in the most violent and horrific ways is heartbreaking.”

The event was conceived on International Women's Day and announced on Mother's Day.

Kate continued: “We want to show our solidarity with the mothers of Gaza and Israel.”

The event was planned to continue to May 12, but will no longer happen on that day due to poor weather.

The outfits had been collected from charity shops or the public, and were put together to represent the range of ages of children who have died, from age zero onwards.

Another volunteer, Sandy Best, said: “The event has been to try and make people realise that these are real human beings.”

The vast majority of deaths among children have been in Palestine, with 13,800 children killed in Gaza according to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

This followed the death of 33 children in Israel in the October 7 attacks. Thousands of other children have been injured in the conflict.

Another attendee, Repi Begum, a Labour councillor, said: “I think we are all here because we want the killings to stop.

“All lives matter - our neutrality comes because we want all lives to matter, not just certain lives but the point here is that 15,000 Palestinian children have been killed.”

Kate said that the event had a powerful impact on people passing by, with some moved to tears and another thanking her for putting on the demonstration.

Many people stopped to look at the clothes and take pictures, asking what the significance of the clothes was.

The clothes are expected to be put on show in Gloucestershire next, and Kate hopes that they will tour more places and spread the message around the nation.