14/12/2017 London News

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In years to come, our hope is that

the name of Groenefeld will not just

be a symbol of sorrow.

As a service is held

at St Paul's to remember the 71

people who lost their lives -

we hear from some of the families

on a day of reflection.

It was heartbreaking at the

beginning, with the children, and it

just makes me realise that

community, the children aren't

coming back.

Plus, taking its toll -

young people tell us how they're

still trying to come to terms

with the tragedy.

Sometimes I try to forget about it

and then when I see it, it is like,

oh, I forgot about you, and then you

just remember everything and you get

a bit sad about it.

Also, Boris Johnson summoned

to appear before City Hall to face

questions over his backing

for the failed garden bridge

while London Mayor...

And the baby abandoned

in a box outside the BBC...

reunited with the man who found him

after more the 70 years.

You join us outside the Notting Hill

Methodist Church outshine the shadow

of Grenfell. -- outside the shadow

of Grenfell. Many people are

gathering tonight for a silent walk,

as they do on the 14th of every

month. They walk silently to the

tower and pay their respects to

those who died. They say it is also

a movement to ensure they get

justice, because answers and justice

is what people who desperately need.

I've been speaking to some of them

about why they come on the walk.

Some Tommy that they've come every

single month so far. I'm just going

to see if I can perhaps talk to

somebody. Excuse me, are you going

on the walk this evening, you live

on BBC London news. Can you tell us

why a was important to you to come?

This particular one, it is six

months since the tragedy, since the

fire. I have only managed to get on

one rock so far, but I have been in

this community for a great number of

years, a really long time, and I

just want to be supportive.

And how

would you describe the mood today?

Well, a little bit sombre, perhaps,

even that there was the St Paul's

Memorial this morning, which was

beautiful and lovely, I did watch

it. But it just seems very quiet.

People are talking to each other,

greeting each other, and I think

just generally showing their

support.

Thank you so much for

talking to us this evening, we

really appreciated. As was mentioned

there, earlier there was a

multi-faith service at St Paul's

Cathedral. It was a show of unity,

solidarity with the bereaved

families and survivors, and a thank

you to all those who helped on the

ground in the hours and days after

the fire. Everyone from the

emergency services to volunteers.

After a long and difficult six

months, it was about coming

together, and it was about hope.

Many here grieved for love ones,

people who perished on that dreadful

night, mothers, fathers, sisters,

brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins,

sons and daughters. Today would have

been the first birthday of one of

the youngest victims of the fire.

MUSIC

In years to come, our hope is that

the name of Grenfell will not just

be known as a symbol of sorrow, of

grief or injustice, but a symbol of

the time we learnt a new and better

way, to listen, and to love.

I'm glad I was there, it means

something to all of us and I love

the parts of the service that talked

about this being a changing the way

that we approach and look after each

other.

The windows broke, things

were falling to the floor, and then

in the space of six minutes, the

fire had already reached six floors

above it.

You could see the smoke,

it felt like it wasn't real.

I was

just horrified by what I saw, and I

just wanted to help.

Deeply

emotional. You feel pulled together

in the same way we were kind of put

together the same way after the

fire. There is a need for us to

share today and to be together.

MUSIC

The two standout points for me that

made me feel tearful was when the

Muslim choir, the Muslim girls,

saying the in Shalaa song. And when

the schoolchildren from the various

primary schools in the area

scattered green Howards around to

the song Somewhere from West side

story. Those were really, really

moving moments for me. -- green

hearts.

It was really, really

beautiful. I thought it was a lovely

vibe, and it was perfect, really.

You know, it was heartbreaking at

the beginning, with the children,

and it just makes me realise that,

you know, the children aren't coming

back.

And we trust that this service

today is an assurance that the

families most deeply affected by

this tragedy are also not forgotten

by our nation, by those here in this

Cathedral, and by those who watch

and listen around the country today.

Such poignant words. Two people who

were there, Reverend Mike Long from

the Notting Hill Methodist Church.

You were there today and you allow

people to watch the service in your

respective places of worship, what

do you think the service achieved?

I

hope several things, recognition for

what the community has been going

through, and to have a service at

Saint Pauls of all places is

affirming for the community, a

community that feels it has not been

listened to well, so it is an

affirmation that says we care for

you, you are important, you matter.

And also helping people to be able

to begin the grieving process, and

perhaps in the long term to move

towards hooligan.

I agree to that,

and if I may add the service showed

that this is a national issue, not

just a local issue, and that the

whole nation is with the Grenfell

victims and survivors. The second

issue, it also reflected the unity

and diversity with the community,

and I think St Paul's Cathedral

today great job in reflecting that

diversity and unity within the

church and all the proceedings of

the service, it included almost

everyone, all other Christian

denominations as well as the

Muslims. There was a Muslim group

who sang a poem, and it was really

very inclusive.

That diversity

reflected ahead of that silent walk.

Can I ask you, how do people begin

to rebuild their lives when so many

are not in permanent accommodation?

I think that is going to be very

hard. As the bishop said, it is

deeply unsettling to be in temporary

income evasion of any kind.

Including the hotels that many from

Grenfell are living in. The support

of the community Ahki, the support

and solidarity of this incredibly

diverse community is going to be a

key factor.

It is a tough week, with

Christmas around the corner, what

sort of support people coming to you

for?

Normally the kind of support

are currently support is

counselling, normally for supporting

people with emotional issues, and

bereavement, holding funeral

services, funeral prayers from time

to time. The other activities, in

winter time, especially during

Christmas and New Year holidays, we

are trying to provide a place for

young people to go so they feel they

are included in some activity.

How

did today feel for you, personally?

Incredibly moving, anti-seize such a

rich diversity of people. It showed

that faith didn't need to be a

matter of conflict but actually

something that helps build a sense

of humility and enables a community

to flourish. There was a huge

privilege to be a part of it but

very poignant, deeply moving and

powerful.

Thank you both are talking

to us on BBC London and for

everything you do, thank you so

much. As we heard, the community

continues to come together in many

ways. But, that night, lives were

fractured. Remember, some people

lost more than one member of their

family. Can you imagine? Some of

those affected were children.

Catherine Carpenter has been finding

out how they have been coping, and

the help that is available. There is

plenty of pre-Christmas excitement

at Harrow youth club's party, but

children like 11-year-old Charlie

sometimes to celebrate. He had

Cuiaba threads in Grenfell Tower

Cabella escaped, the evidence.

--

he

had two friends.

I just think about

the people who were lost in the fire

and they didn't really deserve it,

because there were some people who

were quite young, they have their

whole lives ahead of them and all of

a sudden they are not their early

before, they are just gone.

Foremost

in his mind, Fatima Suker, who he

sat next with maths. Like other

children, he finds seeing the tower

a constant reminder of what

happened.

In school, all children

were just watching it and everyone

was crying, because most people, the

whole family from our school, died.

I just talk to my friends, and they

are very supportive about it.

Of

course the young people enjoying the

party inside have very different

ways of dealing with what happened.

I spoke with one mum who initially

told we should turn down the offer

of counselling for her son because

she didn't think he needed it. That

is only now six months on she is

trying to find someone for him to

speak to, but like many others, she

wishes the signposts of where to

find that help was much clearer.

For

us, we are on a face-to-face basis

with the people who access our

services, and I know they need more

support and help for what they are

going through, but it seems the

focuses only on the parents or the

survivors or if you haven't come

from a certain part of growing for

community and to maybe second in

line to any services and stuff like

that.

But hoping this community has

been a huge task for the local NHS

Trust. 936 adults have been

identified in urgent need of

treatment for post-traumatic stress

disorder and 191 children and young

people have been referred to a

mental health treatment. More

psychologists are still needed to

help.

We are going round, knocking

on doors, trying to have a presence

in all the community centres we can

think of. We have been speaking with

other professionals, so it might be

that someone goes to their GP and

wants access so that the GP knows

how to get them in touch with

services. It is trying to create a

network, I guess, of different

support because different people

might need different things at

different times.

For Michael Defoe,

it is this painting which brings the

rawest of motion. It pictures one of

the Harrow club members who died in

Grenfell Tower.

As much as we would

like to forget Grenfell and put a

line under it, it will never happen.

So we will put it up and make sure

his life is celebrated, because we

love him. Top boy. He really was.

So moving to hear those voices. The

head of the Met has been speaking

about the impact on her offices.

Yes, we know the Grenfell Tower

investigation has been one of the

biggest in the history of Scotland

Yard. Still there are 200 detectives

working on the criminal side of

things, but of course the

compassionate aspect of this is so

important too, 71 people lost their

lives, all those families left

behind, and there have been highly

trained family lays on officers

supporting those families. Those

specialist officers would normally

be dealing with people whose loved

ones had died in knife crime, gun

crime, but we know it dreadful fire

which means their expertise has been

needed so much. Of course there is a

traumatic effect in the emergency

services, the Metropolitan Police

for example, the ones doing the

supporting. Before she went to the

memorial at St Paul's Cathedral I

was able to speak to the

commissioner, and Cressida Dick gave

us an insight into the way the

Grenfell Tower fire has been

affecting the men and women of her

organisation.

We have had thousands of officers

intimately employed in relation to

the work at Grenfell. Those on the

night, those who took calls, those

who have been working with and in

the community sense, the people

working in the tower, only just

finished, seven days a week, since

then, on their hands and knees,

looking through all the material.

The people working with the

families, our liaise on officers and

I could go on, there are so many,

thousands, who have, I'm sure, been

profoundly affected by what they

have seen and heard, and will be for

the rest of their lives.

And, Nick,

we know that people here want

answers. What is the latest on the

police investigation?

The

Commissioner told us this morning

that her organisation would do

whatever it takes to bring to

justice anyone who may be criminally

responsible for what happened here.

We know so far there have been no

arrests, and the commissioner would

not be drawn on when we might see

people being interviewed under

caution as may be a witness or a

suspect. 200 detectives, still

assigned to this case. The

Commissioner said they would

continue to investigate

meticulously, fairly but also

fearlessly. And I think the thing is

this 70 people here they want to see

the police approaching all aspects

of this. I asked the Commissioner

what reassurance could she give the

people that may have lost trust in

figures of authority that the police

will investigate? She said, leave it

with us. She anticipates this

investigation will take more than a

year. They want to do this properly.

Thank you. So that police

investigation will take at least a

year but there is no timeline for

how long it will take for survivors

to rebuild their lives or for the

community to heal. After all, we are

standing in the shadow of the burnt

out tower of Grenfell, a constant

daily reminder of the tragedy that

unfolded here its months ago. As I

mentioned earlier, and you can

probably see the numbers of people

around, people have gathered for a

silent walk which is probably due to

take place in a matter of minutes.

So that is all from us here in north

Kensington and it's over to Claudia

in the studio for the rest of the

day's news.

Thank you, good evening.

Boris Johnson has been

summoned to appear in front

of a City Hall committee to answer

questions over the

failed Garden Bridge.

The London Assembly issued

the summons after the Foreign

Secretary refused to comply

with Sadiq Khan's review of

the controversial Thames crossing.

Louisa Preston is on the Southbank

and can tell us more.

And this is an unusual move from

city Hall, isn't it?

It definitely

is extremely unusual. The London

Assembly has never called on a

former mayor to stand before them

and be questioned by them and it's

all because Boris Johnson wouldn't

take part in the review that took

place earlier this year. That review

didn't have the power to call on the

Foreign Secretary to find out his

views but that's why this is

happening today. We know that view

eventually recommended that the

controversial Garden Bridge should

be ditched, basically because it was

difficult to justify further public

investment when we know an estimated

£46 million had already been spent

on it so Sadiq Khan pulled the plug.

The chair of the committee said an

important part of the story wasn't

being told because the Foreign

Secretary hadn't made his comments

clear during that review. This is

what he said today.

... Require the

former mayor to attend its meetings

where we follow the procedure set

out. I think it's rightly exercised

that power.

Well Boris Johnson is

set to appear at the end of next

February. Obviously causing quite a

storm, the spokesperson for Boris

Johnson actually didn't accuse the

London Assembly today of anything

but accused Sadiq Khan of wasting 18

months in power to grandstand on

issues of the past rather than

focusing on improving lives for

ordinary Londoners. Back to you.

Thank you.

The driver of a bus

which hit a man outside a club

in Reading this summer has

admitted dangerous driving.

Just to warn you the images

we are about to show are quite

shocking.

Amazingly, Simon Smith

walked away from this

with only minor injuries.

40-year-old Cheikh Daouda Senghor,

from Wallingford, appeared before

magistrates in Reading this morning.

He'll be sentenced at a later date.

Now it's back

to school for a group of pensioners

heading to a primary in East London.

In what's thought to be the first

of its kind in the UK.

It's hoped the project

will help older people

living with depression,

isolation and even early

stage dementia.

But as Tim Muffet found out it looks

like the children are getting

something out of it too.

Back to school.

For some, it's been

more than 60 years.

But at Downshall Primary

in Redbridge, East London,

there are lessons to be learned

for all ages.

Three days a week the older

adults come and join us.

They do some artwork.

They play puzzles with these very

young children who have only been

in school a few months.

And they give them the opportunity

to talk and interact.

Downshall Primary is thought to be

the first UK primary to host regular

day care for the elderly.

The scheme's been

trialled for a month,

it officially launches today.

I just like children.

They look so beautiful.

When they do something they go...

Why do you like having

the older people coming along

to visit your school?

Because we get to talk to them.

I just love it.

They are very nice because

they can play with us.

Inspiration for this

project came from Japan,

which has, it is thought,

the fastest growing elderly

population in the world,

and where community led elderly

and dementia care has flourished.

What we want to do is try

and bring that to the UK.

We don't have those sort

of multi-generational families

that we may have had 50 years ago.

What that does is it puts people

at risk of loneliness and isolation.

Doctor Hinchliffe says

collaboration between the school,

North East London NHS Trust

and charities such as Redbridge Age

UK, all mean that the cost

of the scheme will be negligible.

The benefits potentially huge.

Can I have one every five minutes?

LAUGHTER.

Some say education is a gift

that keeps on giving.

At Downshall Primary

school life is bringing

benefits to young and old.

Tim Muffett, BBC News.

Now to a family mystery

which has taken one man more

than 70 years to solve.

In 1943 a baby boy was abandoned and

left

in a box on the steps

of the BBC in London

and found by a studio manager.

Well, at 74, he's spent most

of his life wondering

who abandoned him, and why.

And has been reunited

with the BBC man who found him.

Steve Knibbs was there.

You wouldn't fit into that box now.

Broadcasting House have been bombed

so the overseas service was set up

in the Peter Robinson department

store on Oxford Street. One morning

as Trevor turned up for work he

found a box outside.

So you were

wrapped up in a blanket inside the

box.

Were you worried it would be a

bomb?

Yes, we thought it was,

particularly when you moved.

Thankfully it was just Robin in the

box and aged just two weeks he

became a foundling. He was named

Robin Peters after the department

store where he was found and

eventually adopted at the age of

four. After decades of searching

last year, his daughter Tracey-- his

daughter traced his parents. Trevor

met and married Agnes in Glasgow.

It

seems difficult for my mother to

actually leave a box in that

position at that time during the war

when there was a lot of security

worries. So that doesn't make sense

to me.

At least today a few more

pieces of Robin's early life had

been filled in.

It's been a

completely magical day for me, a day

that I never thought would exist,

and I never, ever imagined that I

would get to meet the contents of

that box.

He still desperate to know

why he was left outside the BBC in

1943 but grateful of course to have

been found by Trevor.

Steve

Knibbs reporting.

Now the weather with Louise Lear.

I'd be right in saying things have

been feeling not quite as cold

compared to the beginning of the

week.

Yes, we have had more sunshine, it

was quite pleasant. Still on the

chilly side but not as cold as we

had earlier on in the week. Things

are set to change subtly as we go

through the night tonight. We are

quite lucky, mostly showers further

north and west but some of them are

heading towards the London area. You

can see the blue sky, sunshine and

cloud free skies. The showers

arrived at the first half of the

night, then clear skies will allow

the temperatures to fall away before

the next batch pushed down into

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, with

temperatures falling close to

freezing and there could be icy

stretches around first thing in the

morning. Those showers could be a

nuisance for tomorrow. All change

tomorrow, a few showers and cloud

will make it feel cool. So they will

start to push down from the north.

One of the reasons of getting these

showers and it will feel colder, the

wind direction changing to a north

or north-easterly which will drive

more showers in through the

afternoon. Temperatures will

struggle at the very best to five or

6 degrees if we are lucky. Clearer

skies will continue through Friday

night and that will allow for a

frost first thing on Saturday, but

Saturday looks quite promising if

you want dry and sunny weather. A

cold start but there will be hardly

a cloud in the sky on Saturday. Very

nice indeed and my advice is, if you

can, make the most read because

things will change as we move into

Sunday. 6 degrees overall height,

and by Sunday the wind direction

changes again so the cold air will

be pushed out of the way by milder

south-westerly is. That will move in

from the Atlantic and that means

Mark -- more cloud, milder and we

will see some rain. Whatever you are

Mark -- more cloud, milder and we

will see some rain. Whatever you are

doing this weekend, enjoy it.

Don't go anywhere without your

brolly tomorrow basically!

A reminder

of today's main headlines....

Survivors of

the Grenfell Tower fire have

gathered for a memorial service

at St Paul's Cathedral.

They were joined by families

of the seventy-one people who died -

and the Royal family -

six months on from the disaster.

That's it,

I will be back later

during the ten o'clock news,

but for now from everyone

on the team have a lovely evening.

Goodbye.