It has been a long, tough year, and it's hard to remember everything that  has happened. 

We look back at what made the headlines in Harrow this year.

January

The year began on a sour note as a "callous and despicable" mechanic who raped and strangled an aspiring city lawyer in her family home before trying to cover up the murder, was jailed for at least 27 years in January this year. 
Peter Kibisu, 24, attacked Elizabeth Nnyanzi, 31, a pair who were so close they called each other cousin, but after the "savage" attack Kibisu concocted a tissue of lies to try to get away with murder.

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However,  a pair of “inseparable” non-identical twins who married two brothers in the same year celebrated their 90th birthday this year. 
Betty and Esta Kagan, married brothers Cyril Kersh and Mervyn Kersh.
Betty said: ““We don’t look alike, that’s the whole thing. People are very surprised when we say we are twins. But there is just this closeness between us."

February

The start of February saw six people charged for the murder of Che Labastide-Wellington in Kenton. 
Three men and a 17-year-old boy were charged with the murder of 17-year-old Che, who died in Belvedere Way, Kenton, on Sunday, November 8
One man was eventually found guilty of manslaughter and five others were sentenced to two years in prison. 

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And the family of a grandmother who bled to death after a spelling mistake set off a chain of errors at Northwick Park Hospital said they feel betrayed by doctors.
Irmgard Cooper, 85, died hours after having a planned operation because there were no blood supplies in the theatre owing to a hospital mix-up and blunders by senior medical staff. 
Lorraine Booker She said: “She was lying in a pool of blood running off the bed. The floor was drenched in blood.”
 

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March


A dedicated follower of fashion and Second World War nurse celebrated her 100th birthday among family and friends this month.
Esther Leach, a great grandmother, was one of 11 children – two girls and nine boys. She worked as a highly skilled dressmaker and continues to take a keen interest in fashion. 
Mrs Leach is a long-standing member of the Harrow Friendship Club at the Mosaic Jewish Community in Bessborough Road, Harrow. 

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A struggling single mother was desperately trying to raise £30,000 to help her son walk again after he was denied a lifechanging operation on the NHS. 
Kai Tunstall, of Edgware, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was two months old and was told he could have pioneering surgery for free. 
His mother Bianca Tunstall was devastated to learn they could not fund the operation, just a week before Christmas. 
Fortunately, thanks to kindness of strangers the money was raised and Kai is working with doctors to help him walk again.

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April

A 16-year-old cycled 33 miles for St Luke's Hospice to celebrate his birthday this month.
More than 20 people joined the ride as part of St Luke’s On Your Bike event on Sunday, April 24, and raised over £3,000.
But it was a duel celebration for Oliver Jenks, of Kenton, when he crossed the finish line.
Oliver said: "I really enjoyed the cycling and it was brilliant to be raising money for St Luke’s.

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A new task force of nurses was created in Harrow this month to help provide additional support to the borough's most vulnerable elderly patients.
The enhanced nursing service is currently reviewing case files across Harrow’s GP surgeries to identify older patients who need more help.
The team are focusing on those tell-tale signs that patients are struggling including higher-than-average hospital admissions and A&E attendances.

 

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May

A mother was appalled in May this year, when was told she may be too fat to work and given uniform so small she claimed it made her look like a “pregnant duck”.
Marcia Gurvitz, of Heronsgate, Edgware, left her job at the new Morrisons shop in Colin-dale because she says her experience was humiliating.
The 54-year-old, who is overweight, said she arrived at her training one morning at the Harrow Leisure Centre when she was ushered aside.
She added: “It was humiliating. I was worried about my size but they measured me and said they had people far bigger than me before.
“I looked stupid – I felt like a pregnant duck.”

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Good news for protesters this month!

Campaigners to Save The Bridge were in "total relief" a lifeline mental health support day centre in Harrow will stay open.


The Bridge, in Christchurch Avenue, Wealdstone, was under threat of closure after Harrow Council agreed to cut its funding in the latest budget.
However, after service users, their friends, family and carers mounted a campaign to save the centre the authority announced last night it would keep it open "for years to come and create a beacon of mental health".

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June 

Friends and family of a teenager who died of lung cancer was honoured with a football tournament in his memory this month. 
Sean McCormack, of Harrow Weald, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008, and Sunday June 12 will mark seven years since he passed away.
His friends wanted to do something to remember Sean, and as he was an avid football supporter, they organised a football tournament one year after Sean’s death. 
Sean’s mother, Sue McCormack, said: “There is always a big turnout at the tournament, it make me feel really humble that so many friends and young people turn up every year to remember Sean.

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Persistent fly-tipping at a block of flats in Harrow Weald created a mountain of rubbish by June this year and left neighbours asking “How can anyone live looking onto a rubbish tip?”
The bin compound at Maison Alfort, on the corner of Weald Lane and High Road, became an eyesore after it was apparently targeted by repeated fly-tippers. 
Elaine Cravitz, who owns two flats in the area, said some residents living above the shops on Weald Lane were throwing rubbish out of their windows in the general direction of the pile because they did not have their own waste bins. 

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July 

In July, we revealed that a “manipulative” dentist who exchanged treatments for hugs and kisses was struck off the register this year. 


Parag Patel, of Nugents Park, Pinner, was summoned before the Professional Conduct Committee of the General Dental Council on Monday, June 20.
He faced numerous charges of misconduct and malpractice relating to two patients he treated between January 2012 and November 2014 while working at his Facial Wellness practice, on Wimpole Street, Marylebone.

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And neighbours described a “frightening” scene after a car ploughed into a shop and burst into flames in North Harrow.


The accountancy firm on Station Road was completely gutted in the blaze, which happened on Saturday at around 3.30am. The offices above were also badly damaged.


Petros and Anastasia Anastasias who run the adjoining Golden Kitchen Fish Bar said: “We rushed here and found all this mess. 
“It was quite frightening really, seeing the damage. It stunk when we arrived, the sign was destroyed and the walls were cracked and burned.”

August 

August brought good and bad news to Harrow.

A couple who met during WWII will celebrated their platinum anniversary this month.

Harry and Bertha Nodder will mark 70 years together on Friday August 5.

The couple have lived in south Harrow for 64 years, and have two children, Colin and Lin-da, and one grandson, Robert.

Daughter Linda Nodder said: “They do everything together. You don’t have one without the other."

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But, Harrow Council was accused of abandoning vulnerable families by slashing a third off its vulnerable young people services budget.

At a cabinet meeting in August, Labour councillors voted through a restructuring of the council’s Early Intervention Services (EIS) with the aim of saving nearly £700,000, reducing the service budget from £2.5m to £1.8m.

The service used to help the most vulnerable young people in the borough, including those who are leaving care or seeking asylum.

September

This month saw a brave Harrow mum cut of 12 inches if her hair to raise money for two special children’s charities.

Diagnosed with an incredibly rare genetic disorder at six months, four-year-old George Reed is the only person in the world with his particular chromosome duplication. His dis-order is so rare it does not even have a name.

Mum Anita Reed says it was clear early on that George was not developing as quickly as his twin brother.

“He is a gorgeous, happy little boy that melts the hearts of everyone he meets with his infectious giggle,” she said.

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A man who drowned in rough seas at a picturesque beach was described as a "great father".Jayarajah Katheeswaran of Shenley Road, Borehamwood, was pulled from the water by lifeguards after being spotted getting into difficulty outside the safe-swim zone at the Sandbanks beach, near Poole Harbour, Dorset, on August 20.

The 37-year-old Sri Lankan was visiting the popular tourist spot as part of the Islamic and Cultural Society of Harrow’s annual excursion.

October

This month brought bad news for Harrow Arts centre, its future hung in the balance, as contractual negotiations between Harrow Council and Cultura London – the charitable trust charged with running the centre – appeared to have broken down.


The council closed the Hatch End-based centre in 2014 when it announced annual losses of between £500,000 and £800,000. However it agreed a stay of execution the next year af-ter a petition opposing the closure gained more than 16,000 signatures.

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Of course the Northolt three-day siege made headlines in October this year.

Neighbours were shocked after a three-day stand-off between armed police and a local dad dramatically ended when officers stormed his Northolt home.
Jason Matthews, 46, barricaded himself in his Wood End Lane home surrounded by petrol and other “combustible materials” in the early hours, refusing all requests to speak with police negotiators.
Matthews was later sectioned under the Mental Health Act. 

November

The temperature started to drop and one Harrow student called for a crackdown on "stupid anti-social behaviour'" after filming a masked crew of people throwing fireworks on to the main road. 


Cara Louise Duhig Brady of Harrow and Wealdstone, filmed a masked group of people throwing fireworks on Harrow Weald High Road on Monday October 31.
Ms Brady, who lives with her said: “We've still got nearly a week till Bonfire Night, is this what we have to look forward to? Luckily the police were on the High Road earlier and I informed them of a group of masked kids carrying trays of eggs."

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And who could forget the catch of the Lord of the fly-tips in Harrow!

A Harrow man dubbed ‘the lord of the fly-tips’ has been handed a 12 month suspended prison term for two years and a 12 month driving ban.
Philip Cash, 65, of Alexandra Avenue, Harrow, will be electronically tagged for 16 weeks as a condition of his suspended sentence handed to him at Hendon magistrates court on November 24.
He admitted responsibility for five separate illegal dumps committed between November 2015 and June 2016. He also pleaded guilty to two lesser offences of failing to comply with a duty of care to dispose of waste properly

December

Harrow remembered passed loved ones this month with a special ceremony.

An annual Light up a Life event saw 500 lights shining in the night sky as people took a moment to remember loved ones they had lost.
The evening raised more than £16,000 for St Luke’s Hospice branch in Kenton Road, Harrow on Sunday December 4.
More than 200 attended the event which included musical performances from the Harrow Apollo Male Choir, the Rock Choir and violinist Rachelle Goldberg.

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But of course, there was some bad news to come.

Harrow council’s draft budget plan sparked anger among organisations and groups this month, as they announced £17m of budget cutbacks. 
Leader of Harrow Council, Sachin Shah, announced plans to spend more than £9m in "essential services" for the borough, including new and improved street lights, more money on services to helping the people of Harrow.
Funding cuts to the mental health charity Mind in Harrow, would mean the service losing £25,843 from April 2017.