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dappy in bridge rescue Dappy with cousin and former bandmate Tulisa Contostavlos
By Kit Heren
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kit@southwarknews.co.uk
FOrmEr N-Dubz rapper Dappy helped talk a suicidal man off Tower bridge last month.
A video posted online shows Dappy, whose real name is Costadinos Contostavlos, on Tower Bridge, waiting as friends tell police officers that the man had asked to speak to him. Police eventually let him approach the man. In the video another man advises Dappy not to take a photo with the person he is helping rescue. Dappy told the man thinking about jumping: “I’m going to drive you to your doorstep. I’m going to take you home. Please man.” The rapper had reportedly been on Tower Bridge to film a music video. Dappy’s girlfriend Imani Campbell said in another video posted onto his Instagram Stories page that the man he spoke to was now “alive and well”. “I truly believe the universe sent us to that bridge so Daps could save this young man’s life,” she said. “As soon as he recognised Daps his whole demeanour
changed, we saw hope appear in his eyes… “Daps told him his life is precious and that he loves him… he talked him off the bridge… the man and his family reached out and he is alive and well.” It comes after we reported last week on possible plans by City of London corporation to install nets on the sides of Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Southwark Bridge, Millennium Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge, after a spate of recent suicide attempts on the river. Camden man Dappy, 34, was one third of pop rap group N-Dubz from 2000-2011, alongside his cousin Tulisa Contostavlos and Fazer. He has since embarked on a solo career and recently released his latest single ‘Bolo’. When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@ samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans. org to find your nearest branch.
elephant blaze caused by ‘electrical fault in car’
By Katherine Johnston

katherine@southwarknews.co.uk
a huge blaze in the arches near Elephant and Castle railway station is believed to have been caused by an ‘electrical fault’.
London Fire Brigade’s investors said last week's fire was most likely accidental and started due to a fault inside a car in a spray booth. Six hundred people were evacuated from the area after an enormous fireball and plumes of thick, black smoke erupted from a garage in Elephant Road on June 28 from shortly before 2pm Three commercial units were completely destroyed by the blaze. Four men left the scene before the Brigade arrived, six people were treated by the London Ambulance Service on site and one person was taken to hospital. The Brigade's 999 Control Officers took 46 calls to the blaze, which was brought under control by 5.58pm.
suspected crystal palace cannabis factory caught fire due to fan failure
Brigade warns of the ‘dangerous wiring at cannabis factories’
By Katherine Johnston
katherine@southwarknews.co.uk
A susPECTED cannabis factory fire in Crystal Palace was caused by an ‘extractor fan failure’.
Firefighters were called to a shop with flats above in Westow Hill on Saturday, July 3 after a blaze broke out shortly after 11am. The alarm had been raised by a flat resident from an upper floor who could smell smoke coming from below. The outbreak was under control by 12.57pm with the help of two fire engines and ten firefighters from West Norwood and Norbury stations. Inspectors now believe the fire started from an extractor fan failure in a ventilation system. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Firefighters arrived to find a small fire within an extraction system in the basement. “Cannabis factory fires can be particularly dangerous because of the way criminals use unsafe wiring to illegally obtain electricity in order to grow the plants. "They're often in top floors or lofts which means when a fire takes hold it spreads, destroying roofs and damaging neighbouring buildings. "Firefighters can also be exposed to risks when dealing with the fires because of bad wiring and traps at some of the properties. "It's important that people know the key signs and inform the police so that they can act swiftly to prevent these dangerous fires from happening.”

Croquet enthusiasts to play game for 26 hours straight
By Katherine Johnston
katherine@southwarknews.co.uk
Two CroqueT enthusiasts from Dulwich are playing the game for 26 hours straight to raise funds for their club and Parkinson’s uK, after fellow players were diagnosed with the condition.
Guy Scurfield and Peter Haydon hope to raise £5,000 to be divided between the charity and Dulwich Sports Club. The challenge will begin on Saturday, July 24, with different partners joining for every hour of the event. “We did the event last year for 25 hours for our local hospice which was great fun, which is why we are doing the extra hour this year,” Guy explained. “It was so good to get the club as a whole pulling together, wanting to take part and supporting our efforts. "Seeing the sun rise, and playing the final hour with our wives was pretty amazing. “We’ve chosen Parkinson’s UK because some club members have Parkinson’s, so we have personally seen the impact that the condition has. “Croquet helps offset, just a little, the impact of Parkinson’s, which is wonderful. Keeping active generally is really important for helping to manage the symptoms.” Parkinson’s has no cure and affects around 145,000 people in the UK. Its range of symptoms include tremors, pain and anxiety, but each person diagnosed will be affected differently. Simona Southgate, regional fundraiser for London at Parkinson’s UK, said: “We are really grateful to Peter, Guy and all those people supporting this fantastic challenge. We wish them the very best of luck. “With more than 40 potential symptoms, Parkinson’s can devastate lives. “While we’ve made huge breakthroughs in the last 50 years, there is still no cure and current treatments are not good enough. Fundraising for Parkinson’s UK helps us drive forward the groundbreaking research we need to transform the lives of people with Parkinson’s”. To support Guy and Peter’s fundraising, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/26hoursofcroquet To find out how to fundraise for Parkinson’s UK visit parkinsons.org. uk/fundraising
mothers against guns founder passes away and yet still more and more young men are being killed on our streets
michelle forbes met with the Prime minister and uS President
By Katherine Johnston
katherine@southwarknews.co.uk

TrIbuTEs hAVE been paid to mothers Against Guns co-founder michelle Forbes who passed away last week.
The former senior probation officer at Camberwell Magistrates’ Court became one of south London’s most recognisable campaigners after her 21-year-old son Leon, a father with another baby on the way, was shot to death on the doorstep of the family’s home in Clapham. In her search for justice she turned her family’s devastating tragedy into a catalyst for change, teaming up with fellow bereaved parent; Peckham’s Lucy Cope to lobby the government to impose tougher sentences on gun crimes and calling for life to mean life behind bars. The formidable pair took their campaign to Downing Street and the heart of Tony Blair’s government, and as far afield as the USA, having audiences with president Bill Clinton and former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg. Lucy Cope paid tribute to Michelle describing her as ‘like a sister’. “I lost my son before Michelle and I remember like it was yesterday when she came to my house," she said. “She was broken, and we have stuck together all these years. I feel like a sister has gone. “She was a phenomenal woman, a phenomenal fighter, a brilliant probation officer, mother, sister and friend. “Michelle, you made an impact on my life, an impact on the then-prime minister, mayor Bloomberg and Clinton. “Like you said - if we get closed doors we’ll kick them down.”
see comment - page 19
thE Grim tOll aS tEEnaGE murDErS rEaCh hiGhESt lEvEl fOr OvEr a DECaDE
Although the government has pledged to crack down on serious crime and increase sentences through its controversial police, crime, sentencing and courts bill, the campaigner’s death comes at a time when violent crime has escalated after lockdown. Two teenagers died within hours of each other in separate attacks in Lambeth and Greenwich on Monday. They are the latest victims in a wave of serious youth violence across London. In a grim record, 63 homicides have been investigated by the Met in 2021 so far. The Met has warned the city is now set to have the highest number of teenage killings since 2008 - when 26 young people died. Fatal stabbings between January and April were up by a quarter compared to last year.
Mothers Against Guns campaigner Michelle Forbes with former Prime Minister Tony Blair
VICTIms from souTh London ThIs year
• 22-year-old Lavaun Witter, from Peckham, stabbed to death in Croydon in February • Seventeen-year-old Levi Ernest-Morrison fatally injured in Sydenham in April • A 78-year-old was found dead in Jamaica Road from a head injury • 74-year-old Christopher Martin found dead in Lewisham • 53-year-old Marlene Coleman from Lewisham • Nineteen-year-old Tashawn Watt stabbed to death in Sydenham last month • 26-year-old Jason Nyarko killed at a Bermondsey rave two weeks ago
By Katherine Johnston
katherine@southwarknews.co.uk
a KennIngTon youth club is one of several in London to be given extra security to help keep vulnerable youngsters safe from violent attacks.
Aveline Street's Alford House is one of four clubs across the city to gain funding and extra support from the Metropolitan Police scheme. It now has heavy duty doors and an ‘air lock lobby’ which enables staff to monitor who is coming in and out, and prevent passersby from entering the building. The police are also working with London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service to improve fire safety and to install defibrillators in ten clubs across the capital. Tim Saunders, the Youth Club Manager at Alford House, said: “Any youth worker will tell you that they strive to carry out activity in a safe environment, both physical and emotional. “Anything that improves safety must be welcomed. The new design actually makes the entrance to the club much more welcoming than before, while improving our ability to see exactly who is coming in and out. “It’s terrific that these features lead to greater security for all who use the club, and this investment in youth clubs is most welcome. “The parents of younger members are pleased and the older members have commented on what a good idea it is. “This process was not without its teething problems but everything was surmountable and we even had some laughs along the way. “I am so pleased we have benefited from this and I am delighted the scheme will be continued into the future.” The Met says the scheme is part of its targeted activity against violent crime, particularly throughout the summer months and as restrictions ease. Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said: “During lockdown we have been working behind the scenes to improve the practical security of these youth clubs so that young people and the local employees have safe spaces to return to now lockdown restrictions are lifting. “My thanks go out to the assistance of our partners in making these improvements to create safer environments for young people to come together to enjoy themselves, which we hope will reduce the risk of violence around these areas. “Targeting violent crime remains the Met’s number one priority and requires a collective effort, as seen here in the success of this scheme, to prevent acts of violence from occurring in the first place. "This initiative forms part of the wider work officers from across the Met have been doing to ensure we are prepared and ready to tackle any violence through the summer months.”






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