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'Snubbed' July 7 bombings survivor to lay wreath at memorial

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by Sarah Marshall

A survivor of the London bombings
is heading from Ashford to Hyde Park today to lay a wreath at a
memorial which is due to be unveiled on the fourth anniversary of
the atrocities.

But Beverli Rhodes, 47, who was
injured in the terror attack of July 7, 2005 has not been invited
to the official ceremony and says she feels "snubbed". Priority has
been given to the relatives of those who died.

Ms Rhodes, who lives in
Nettlefield, Kennington, plans to lay a wreath on behalf of herself
and other survivors when the memorial opens to the public later
today, following the private ceremony for the bereaved.

The memorial consists of 52
pillars, one for each of the victims. The pillars are grouped
together in four inter-linking clusters reflecting the four
incidents.

Ms Rhodes, who previously lived in
Maidstone, supports the design and is glad a memorial has been
built - but feels survivors should have been invited.

She said: "I feel significantly let
down, as do a number of other survivors who have had no
communications from the powers that be.

"We had been used to getting a
letter in May or June time explaining what the ceremony would be on
July 7, where the entrance would be, how we had to get in and
whether we needed tickets. We’ve had absolutely nothing this
year."

Last week, Ms Rhodes emailed the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport asking why there is no
event for those who were injured in the attacks. She has not
received a reply.

A spokesman for the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "We have gone to
a lot of trouble to contact survivors to tell them about the plans
for the memorial opening. Everyone who asked to attend will be
there."

Ms Rhodes suffered facial injuries
in the bomb attack on a tube train under Russell Square. She
continues to require treatment for her injuries and has set up a
campaign group for victims of terrorism, the Survivor Coalition
Foundation.

The July 7 bombings were a series
of coordinated suicide bomb attacks carried out by British
fundamentalist Muslims on London's public transport system during
the morning rush hour.

Just before 9am, three bombs
exploded within 50 seconds of each other on three London
Underground trains. A fourth bomb exploded on a bus nearly an hour
later in Tavistock Square.

The bombings killed 52 people, the four suicide bombers and
injured 700.

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