The News Shopper group editor was interviewed on television as part of the paper’s extensive coverage to mark the 10th anniversary of the murder of teenager Stephen Lawrence.

While much of the media has concluded that little has changed for people living in the Eltham area – labelled a “racist hellhole” at the time of the attack, the Newsquest title found huge investment into estates and new initiatives being planned.

It also launched the We Back Eltham campaign and encouraged its readers to display a specially produced poster (below), which they could either cut out from the newspaper or download from its website.

Group editor Andrew Parkes said: “No-one will ever forget the sad death of Stephen and we, along with thousands of others, will mark his passing. But this is certainly not just a time for mourning. It is a time to look forward, to realise how far Eltham has come in 10 years and also set our sights firmly on the future.”

He was interviewed on ITV’s local news magazine London Tonight about the campaign and the reasons behind it.

Reporters had been out and about interviewing ordinary people and those responsible for improving the area to get its features.

There was a huge postbag in response to the coverage, of the month-long campaign for justice and for the future of the district, describing the vibrant community spirit and future plans for new facilities and developments.

Readers responded to the campaign, saying: “Many thanks for your article… I feel very encouraged by it”, and “I agree that it’s time to move on”.

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