A community hoping to move on after the actions of its sons

THE community from which the London bombers sprang were quiet yesterday as Britain remembered the bomb victims and as community leaders appealed for unity.

In the Beeston area of Leeds shops were opening as usual and there were no visible signs of anything out of the ordinary.

TV crews which descended on the area last year in the aftermath of the bombings were largely absent.

Members of the community observed yesterday’s two-minute silence at the Joseph Priestley Further Education College in Burton Avenue.

The college opened in November last year and is a sign of how the Beeston community has moved on since the July 7 bombings, a college spokesman said.

At a cemetery close to Beeston, fresh flowers had been laid at the grave of bus bomber Hasib Hussain.

Several fresh bouquets had been laid at the unmarked grave, along with potted plants.

There were no written messages.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds planted a ‘Tree of Hope’ in the park where bomber Shehzad Tanweer played cricket just a few hours before setting off for London on July 7. Mohammed Iqbal — who is the first Asian Lord Mayor of the city — stood in Cross Flatts Park with local MP Hilary Benn for the brief ceremony.

Mr Iqbal said: “There is still shock that some of the perpetrators of the London bombings came from this area and from Leeds but they did not represent this area in any way and this is vitally important to remember.”

Muslims and Christians were urged to continue strengthening links between their communities in a bid to defeat the extremism that led to the bombings.

In a joint statement, two umbrella groups representing the faiths said that the attacks had increased the determination of people from the different religions to “live together in peace”.

They also called on community leaders to set examples to people that showed “wisdom and a sense of justice”.

The statement was issued by the Reverend Bob Fyffe, general secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, and Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, of the Muslim Council of Britain.

They said: “Our sympathy goes to all whose lives were changed by the explosions on the Underground and on the bus in Tavistock Square.

“The attacks had ripples of effect far beyond London. The crisis challenged us to affirm our common humanity and strengthened our determination to live together in peace.”