This week 10, 20, 30 years ago

10 Years Ago

A poll by YouGov asked voters which one of six Labour figures they thought was best suited to run for City Hall.

Former Olympics minister Dame Tessa did well in the survey, scoring 17 per cent, just behind Izzard on 21 per cent. However, among Labour voters only, Dame Tessa was slightly in front on 22 to Izzard’s 19 per cent.

The comic and TV personality had previously said that although he was interested in running for mayor, he was not yet ready to give up his showbiz career.

A film produced by a South London grandad to showcase his Sierra Leone homeland Leone was set to premiere.

Collins Archie-Pearce’s thriller, starring Nigerian comedy actor John Okafor – known as Mr Ibu – was to be shown at the Odeon in Bugsby’s Way, Greenwich.

Mr Archie-Pearce, who worked above Elephant and Castle Tube station as a train operations standards manager in charge of the Bakerloo line went back to the West African country for three weeks to make the film.

Traders whose businesses were devastated when a water main burst and flooded a road were to get an emergency cash donation to help with repair bills.

In August 2013, residents and traders in Herne Hill woke up to find themselves trapped in their homes, cars submerged and their streets flooded.

As many as 37 homes and businesses including the Half Moon Pub were flooded in a 200 metres by 200 metres stretch.

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20 Years Ago

A proud owner was celebrating after her cat was chosen from hundreds of hopefuls to appear in a cat food maker’s calendar.

Jessie the cat, from Herne Hill, won one of the 12 coveted slots on the calendar after her owner Selena Wong entered her pet into a competition run by Whiskas.

The company planned to take studio pictures of the 12 winners ahead of the release of its 2004 calendar.

Two stable hands whose quick thinking saved the life of a horse after it was hurt by rioting football fans received police commendations.

Natasha Streek, 32, and Helen Wolski, 35, were sheltering in a horse box after violence erupted after Millwall FC’s defeat to Birmingham in the Division One play-offs.

But they were quick to act when a policeman brought his injured stead Alamein in with bad cuts after being spooked by a firework thrown by a football thug and put his hoof through a car window.

Post office bosses Warned that post boxes would be sealed up if an unofficial strike by workers continued.

The move was threatened because so much post was piling up when it went uncollected.

Piles of post bags began to grow after the strike over pay and conditions spread to the Nine Elms sorting office.

About 1,300 workers downed tools at the sorting office.

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30 Years Ago

Scores of ravers fought a running battle with police after they were refused entry to an overcrowded nightclub.

More than 100 police, some in riot gear, were pelted with bottles and bricks outside Zatopeck club in Linford Street, Battersea.

Officers described it as a miracle that no one Was hurt in the incident.

Armed police were called in during the early hours of the morning amid claims a gun had been fired by someone in the queue outside the venue.

A man celebrated a victory after writing to the Queen to ask why there was no subtitled version of a video about Buckingham Palace.

Kenneth Smith, who was partially deaf, was amazed to be contacted shortly after wards by a senior member of palace staff asking if he would help with the production.

The Lewisham council employee said it was always best to go straight to the top.

Angry tenants whose homes were just a few feet above the new Jubilee line say their concerns had been ignored by transport chiefs.

The new line was set to be built under parts of north Southwark, bringing 22,000 jobs.

But tenants living on the Canada Estate in Rotherhithe, said that the new line would bring misery and chaos.

Some residents even claimed their crumbling homes would topple over as a result of the drilling and subsequent vibrations from trains.

 

Picture: Pixabay/suezword5