Theresa May joins Southwark Cathedral service for those who died and were injured

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A national minute’s silence and a service of commemoration for victims have marked the first anniversary of the London Bridge terrorist attack in which eight people were killed.

The names of the dead were read out as relatives and some of those injured in the attack laid flowers at a memorial site at the southern end of the bridge on Sunday.

Among them was Wayne Marques, a British Transport police officer, who was stabbed in the head, leg and hand while fighting the attackers a year ago. He is still unable to work.

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The prime minister, Theresa May; the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn; the London mayor, Sadiq Khan; the home secretary, Sajid Javid, and his Labour shadow, Diane Abbott; the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and representatives of the emergency services also laid wreaths and floral tributes.

Christopher Chessun, the bishop of Southwark, who addressed the service at Southwark Cathedral on Sunday, told the Guardian he wanted to “send out a message of hope and faith and love in the midst of the loss of humanity that was demonstrated by these terrorist action”.



He said: “Even within those eight minutes of terror, the seeds of hope were being sown by those behaving so bravely, standing their ground, refusing to let terror triumph – at enormous cost.”

Eight candles, one for each of those killed, were lit during the service by relatives or young people from the area. At the end of the service, Chessun blessed an olive tree, called the tree of healing, which was planted in compost created from floral tributes left on the bridge last June.

May said: “Today we remember those who died and the many more who were injured, and also pay tribute to the bravery of our emergency services and those who intervened or came to the aid of others.”



The attack was a “cowardly attempt to strike at the heart of our freedoms by deliberately targeting people enjoying their Saturday night with friends and family”.



She added: “My message to those who seek to target our way of life or try to divide us is clear – our resolve to stand firm and overcome this threat together has never been stronger.”



Play Video 0:58 Service held to remember London Bridge terror attack victims – video

Khan, who read a psalm at the service, said: “Our city faced some incredibly difficult times last year, with the terrorist attacks in Westminster, London Bridge, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green ... I’m proud of the way we have responded: standing united in defiance and staying true to our values and way of life.”



Dozens of people were injured during the Saturday evening attack when three terrorists drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and then stabbed people in Borough Market. Police shot dead the three attackers.



The victims of the attack were Christine Archibald, 30, from Canada,James McMullan, 32, from Hackney in London, Alexandre Pigeard, 26, Sebastien Belanger, 36, and Xavier Thomas, 45, from France, Kirsty Boden, 28 and Sara Zelenak 21, from Australia, and Ignacio Echeverría, 39, from Spain.

On Sunday evening, an iftar – the meal to end the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan – was due to be held at the cathedral. “We have a gloriously diverse community here, which rallied [in the aftermath of the attack] with a sense of we will not let this destroy the bonds that tie us together,” said the bishop.

The iftar was “a way of reaching out in friendship to the Muslim community”, he added.



Moments after the attack, police broke down the cathedral doors and smashed glass as part of their search for potential further attackers.



The doors to the sacristy, damaged by police baton rounds on the night of the attack, have been left unchanged as a physical reminder of the atrocity.

The cathedral was cordoned off for eight days to allow police to carry out forensic work.

Chessun said: “I felt in the weeks following that everyone was putting the emphasis on a return to normality. The church had to keep the emphasis on those who had been robbed permanently of their normality – those who had been traumatised, the families of victims, those living with life-changing injuries.



“Our focus over the year has been on the quiet work of reaching out, engaging, healing. That remains our first priority.”



One year on, the threat of terrorist violence remained, he said. “It would be irresponsible to think that this year is different to last year. But the hard reality of last year was the succession of terrible incidents.



“The reality of this year is focusing on the work of healing and building a community of hope. That’s something in which everyone has a role.”

London Bridge was closed to traffic for the commemorations. Daniel, a chef in Borough Market, said that since the attack there were more barriers in place to control crowds and a more visible police presence.

“It’s pretty much back to normal. But people are talking about the anniversary on the streets, and remembering what happened,” he said.

The words “London United” were to be projected on the bridge after dark on Sunday.