Carpenter brings 'a little more light' into Clapham Common community

Watch Anna Geary's report

Lex Ashby, a carpenter from Manchester, has restored a memorial bench for a man who was murdered in a homophobic attack on Clapham Common in 2005.

Jody Dobrowski was 24 when he was beaten to death whilst walking across Clapham Common. His killers were jailed for 28 years.

19 years on from Jody’s killing, people living in the area had noticed the bench, which was funded by the local community, was in rough shape.

When London social media page, Best of Clapham, posted about the bench’s degradation, Ashby got in touch and offered to restore it free of charge.

Ashby, told ITV News, "When me and my mum used to walk my dog, whenever we saw a bench we stop and read who it was and take a minute for them."

"I am very conscious of my name being associated with the bench, because this isn't my bench. I never intended it to be. This isn't my bench, this is Jody Dobrowski's bench for his legacy and his family. "

"Jody Dobrowski's life need's to go on longer than the life of a park bench."

With permission from Lambeth Parks, Lex carefully removed the bench, repaired it with meticulous care, and returned it to its original spot, as if new.

Petr Kaiser who runs, Best of Clapham, told ITV News, "It's an important part of the LGBTQ community in Clapham especially, but I have spoken to a few councillors recently and so many people forgot about it so it's important to tell people what happened, how it happened so it never happens again."

The Best of Clapham team have thanked Lex for “bringing a little more light into our community.”

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