This week 10, 20, 30 years ago

10 Years Ago

A family welcomed the findings of a report into police handling of a death.

Sean Rigg, 40, died in custody at Brixton police station on August 21, 2008 after being arrested for attacking police and the public in Balham.

The initial investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was heavily criticised in a report published by criminologist Dr Silvia Casale.

It followed a campaign by Mr Riggs’ family to find out all they could about his death. Mr Rigg had a 20-year history of mental illness and was off his medication on the day he died.

A birth centre that boasted all the latest facilities celebrated its third birthday.

The centre at Lewisham Hospital, which had five rooms and three birthing pools had delivered 2,440 babies since its opening in May 2010.

It was staffed by midwives and provided a home-from-home environment for mums-to-be.

Emily Catlow’s daughter Tess became the 1,000th baby to be delivered in the centre in August 2011.

Lambeth delivered a clear message to Mayor Boris Johnson- hands off Clapham fire station.

That was the overwhelming response to London Fire Brigade plans to close the station and shave £45million off its budget over two years.

It had already saved £66million through support staff cuts since 2008. Fire stations at Woolwich, New Cross, Downham, Clapham and Southwark would have also closed as well as the loss of 520 jobs and 18 fire engines.

Critics said the plan would put people at risk with response times increasing and fewer firefighters to tackle the blaze.

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20 Years Ago

A therapy pool for pampered pooches opened in Clapham.

London’s first pet hydrotherapy pool, HydroVet in Clapham Junction was launched to offer dogs some serious doggy paddling rest and relaxation.

The facility was opened with a 15ft by 12ft pool and was the first in the capital to serve the four-legged friends.

Owners were charged £15 a head for a dip in the pool. The dogs would be held in place by a harness.

Hundreds of visitors to a support centre for Vietnamese South Londoners were told the service was to be axed.

Hundreds of people visited the Vietnamese Refugee Community Centre every week. But Southwark council demanded that the group hand back the building after 16 years on the site.

The council had given the group a house in East Surrey Grove in 1988 but in 2003, the group was told it would no longer receive funding from the council.

The council said the group had been aware of the plans for two years and that it was no longer eligible for council funding.

A group of pensioners called for kid-free buses because they felt intimidated.

Members of the Lewisham Pensioners’ Forum were given the chance to grill transport bosses at Lewisham Town Hall in Catford about their hellish journeys.

Lewisham council distanced itself from claims that its schoolchildren were out of control on their way to and from school.

A council spokesman said that once a child leaves the school gates, their parents are responsible for their actions.

London Buses said badly behaved children were society’s problem and refused to charter special vehicles.

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30 Years Ago

A historian led calls to see a cinema building listed to protect it from developers.

Jad Adams applied to the Government to have the Jasmine Social Club, formerly the Capitol, in London Road, Forest Hill, listed. He said his fears for the future of the building were sparked

The art deco building was built for Apollo Cinemas by architect Stanley Beard and opened in 1929. In the 1960s, while remaining in use as a cinema, the Capitol had also been used to stage live pop bands.

But it closed in 1973 and was reopened as a bingo hall.

The first woman to become leader of Lewisham council vowed to make the authority more transparent by publishing a detailed annual report on its services.

Churchdown ward councillor Margaret Moran, 38, took over the reigns of the council from Steve Bullock, who had been at the helm for four years. She had been a Lewisham councillor for nine years and was the borough’s former deputy leader.

She said she was particularly pleased to secure the job as 1993 marked the 75th anniversary of the Women’s Suffrage movement and said a woman’s touch in the council would encourage more discussion and debate in council meetings.

Environmental officers vowed to scoop up dog mess within an hour of it being reported.

The Canine clean-up guarantee was launched by Lewisham council in a bid to rid the borough of dog mess, which was a constant gripe from residents.

Using a special automated pooper-scooper, FIDO, which used a vacuum cleaning system, the machines could be dispatched to parks and streets anywhere in the borough after residents called in with their complaints.

 

A birth centre that boasted all the latest facilities celebrated its third birthday. Generic Picture: Pixabay/angel4leon