Riot hit shop gives positive message

A furniture store which was fire-damaged in last year's riots has been covered in more than 4,000 images of young people holding positive statements.

Some of the most evocative images of the unrest a year ago came when the store House of Reeves in Croydon, south London was razed to the ground by a massive fire, having stood on the site for more than 140 years.

The adjacent store, part of the same business - which was damaged but has since been refurbished - has been decked with pictures of youngsters holding cards with hopeful messages for society and their local community.

The move is designed to challenge the negative perceptions born from the actions of a minority of Britain's youth last year, and was organised by youth volunteering charity vinspired as part of its Reverse Riots campaign.

David Lammy, MP for another riot-hit area, Tottenham, said: "It is all too easy for media and the general public to lay blame at the hands of all Britain's young people, but we must remember that this was the actions of the minority. The majority of young people are law abiding, brilliant representatives of this country.

"As we have seen with the legacy provided by the Olympic Games, young people are the future of this nation and we must stand tall and side by side with them to allow them to flourish."

Trevor Reeves was forced to watch his family business burn to the ground as firefighters were unable to tackle the blaze because the area had not been made safe by police.

He said recently: "It's still pretty horrible. It's still pretty raw. We've been so busy that you don't think about it until someone asks you about it, and it's only when you start talking about it that you realise what a traumatic event it was."

His father Maurice was out celebrating his wedding anniversary that night and came home to see television footage of the catastrophic fire.

"He phoned me and he was absolutely distraught. It was a terrible phone call, one that I will probably take to my grave, to hear that level of distress from my father," Mr Reeves said.

A decision has yet to be made about what will happen to the land at Reeves Corner where the destroyed shop stood.

Gordon Thompson, 34, was jailed for 11-and-a-half years in April for starting the fire, after changing his plea to guilty three days into his Old Bailey trial.