NORTHERN trade unionists mobilised in their thousands to support Saturday’s Britain Needs a Pay Rise demonstration.

Despite facing an incredibly long journey — many with 5am starts — to join the march and rally, they flocked to London by coach and rail.

There was an atmosphere of solidarity and enthusiasm on the journey down from Leeds, while the return journey was one of celebration tinged with the tiredness.

One family who were pleased to have made the 400-mile-odd journey for the demonstration was the Hopkinsons — Mark and Helen who both work for the Department of Work and Pensions, whose national headquarters are in Leeds, with their children Gabe, 11, and Martha, 9. Their other daughter Cait, 18, is studying politics at Goldsmith’s College in London and had joined them on the march.

“I thought it was great,” said Mark. 

“There was a really good turn-out from the unions. This is our last chance to stand up to the coalition. We need to get the action stepped up if anything and get support from others, including the private sector.”

Helen said: “The atmosphere was fantastic.”

But she said hopes for the future remained grim and she had little faith in Labour to change the situation.

“I have never known it as bad. Politics is not a working-class job any more now. Most politicians have been to public school and paid for it,” she said.

“They are all out of touch,” said Mark.

Their student daughter is already £27,000 in debt through tuition fees and student loans — with no guarantee of a job at the end.

Down the coach was Michael Docherty, a book cataloguer at the British Library at Boston Spa, near Leeds.

“I was there to show my anger,” he said. “The march was inspirational.”

Also on board was PCS Yorkshire regional secretary Juanita Charles, who said: “We had people who have been on previous demonstrations but also a lot who have never been before. It was a very family friendly event.”