TAVISTOCK SQUARE, CENTRAL LONDON WEDNESDAY 6th August, 2008 saw the annual gathering around the cherry tree at noon. Jeremy Corbyn MP presiding. The programme opened with the joint choirs Raised Voices and WMA Singers' rendition of "Against The Atom Bomb", the original Japanese melody, arranged by Alan Bush, with English words by Ewan McColl.

Councillor Nurul Islam, Mayor of Camden greeted the meeting, welcoming them all to Camden, and was followed by the Rt. Hon. Frank Dobson MP, and Reverend Paul Hawkins, Vicar of St. Pancras Church, all well-known figures at these occasions.

The WMA Singers sang "When I needed a Neighbour, were you there?" and Kate Hudson, Chair of CND spoke movingly of the fifty years' of CND, and let it be known that she had been told by a member of the London Assembly that - following protests from Londoners, Boris Johnson would be rescinding his earlier decision to withdraw London from the Mayors for Peace. This was greeted with acclamation.

Pat Arrowsmith did not read poems this year, but spoke of the successes and achievements of the last fifty years of CND activities and campaigning. Raised Voices sang a beautiful Japanese song, "Hiroshima Survivor's song", in Japanese, the text of which translated reads: "It is important that we tell our children what happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki so that it will never happen again."

Bernard Miller, whose mother Councillor Miller had planted the cherry tree, remembered Rose Hacker, long-time peace activist, and who is sorely missed. She had been granted a column in The Camden Journal, following her presentation two years earlier at this event, and survived to 101.

In contrast Sonia, from Children Against the War, now 13, has matured, and grown, and appealed to young people to listen and learn.

Tony Benn concluded the speeches in his usual stirring, gently wry manner, and following a minute's silence, and the laying of flowers, the meeting closed the formal section with The H-Bomb's Thunder, led by the choirs.

A surprise visit from Peter Le Mare, of St. Just in Cornwall who explained that he had rushed from City Hall, where his boat "Be Disarming" was moored, following the voyage around the South coast from Penzance. Everybody was invited to join him at City Hall, from 4.00 p.m. for a rally. (see "Be Disarming - D. Leal")

People did not immediately disperse, but stayed for a picnic in the sun, and old and new friends spoke together for an hour or so.       Anne Schuman

This event occurs each year on the same date. i.e. 6th August, and we participated in 2009 too.

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