This week 10, 20, 30 years ago
10 Years Ago
A boxing gym coach said more clubs like his were needed following a spate of stabbings involving teenagers.
Patrick Harris, head coach at Double Jab ABC boxing gym in New Cross, spoke after the latest incident in which a 14-year-old boy was left seriously injured.
Mr Harris said: “We promote the Jab Don’t Stab motto and we’re already seeing a positive effect with about 100 youngsters coming through our doors each week.”
Activists took over an office block to send a message to Mayor of London Boris Johnson over a long-standing planning row.
Eileen House, in Newington Causeway, Elephant & Castle, was occupied by activists who do not want the vacant office block knocked down and replaced with hundreds of expensive flats.
Initially, Southwark council planners recommended councillors approve the plans in 2011, but members of the planning committee decided to refuse permission. At that point, Mr Johnson enacted powers to act as the decision maker.
Town halls were reassured that wrongly labelled meat had not been supplied to its schools.
Meat suppliers contacted local authorities in South London to confirm products labelled beef did not contain horse, in the wake of the growing food scandal.
Horse meat was last week discovered in products supplied to 47 Lancashire schools.
South London councils said they had received assurances that meat was not being sold to their schools under a wrong label.
Councillor Rachel Heywood, cabinet member for children and families at Lambeth council, said: “Harrison do not use processed meat apart from their poultry sausages and poultry burgers, which are bespoke fresh products.”
20 Years Ago
Campaigners launched an appeal to raise £150,000 to restore a historic church in East Dulwich.
The spire of St John the Evangelist in Goose Green needed a £40,000 facelift and the church required repair work to make it safe for the congregation.
A series of fundraising events was organised, including an international evening of food and drink.
The church’s fundraising committee set themselves a five-year target to raise the cash to restore the historic building.
Plans for 1,000 new homes in Elephant & Castle were tabled by Southwark council.
The plans included 200 new homes in Rodney Road, 120 in St Mary’s Churchyard and 200 in Harper Road.
The plans also included the demolition of the Elephant & Castle Fusion leisure centre and the London Park Hotel.
But the plans were not met with universal enthusiasm, with the Heygate Tenants’ Association claiming that members had not been properly consulted.
A clockmaker decided to call time on his business after more than three decades.
Eddie Riley, 72, retired after running his business in Doggett Road, Catford for 35 years.
Mr Riley made bespoke parts for old clocks and watches and boasted customers from around the world. He started the trade when he left school at 15 years old.
He planned to keep his watchmaking interests ticking over as a hobby, but wanted to retire to spend more time with his five children.
30 Years Ago
Plans for a helipad had to be taken back to the drawing board following complaints from residents.
Thames Heliport bosses hoped to cater for 4,400 helicopters with a floating helipad based on a boat in the Thames as part of a £1million scheme.
London’s Transport Minister Steven Norris said aspects of the scheme were bizarre and ordered an investigation.
The move came after complaints from the North Southwark Community Development Group Southwark council and Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey and Southwark and Bermondsey MP Simon Hughes.
A man launched an appeal to find the owner of a two-legged dog, so he could donate a handmade doggy chariot.
Richard Wooton’s brother-in-law had made the chariot for a friend’s German shepherd, but the dog died.
Mr Wooton then saw a two-legged dog in his local park and wanted to give it to the owner. But when he got home, he realised he had not taken down a phone number.
He made the appeal through the South London Press to trace the canine’s owner, who was believed to have been from the Tulse Hill or Brixton areas.
Heartless thieves ruined a young motorcyclist’s hopes by stealing his new bike just two days before he was due to race.
Trophy-winning Daniel Long, from Bermondsey, had to miss the start of the schoolboy motocross season after his new 80cc Yamaha was stolen from his father’s garage.
The bike had been bought earlier, but was stolen along with his older brother’s 250cc machine. In 1992, Daniel had won 11 trophies.
However, the thieves struck just two days before the youngster was due to start his racing season.
Picture: Pixabay/harutmovsisy