A remembrance service was held in honour of homeless men and women who have died while sleeping rough.

Waltham Forest Faith Communities Forum organised the event in Walthamstow Town Square on Friday, November 17.

Remembering Our Homeless Friends included a prayer service led by religious leaders and performances by Rose & Crown Singers and Sing17.

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More than £1,000 was raised for Christian Kitchen who provide hot meals from their van every evening in Walthamstow.

Joanna Barrett Constantinou gave a heartfelt tribute to a homeless friend that she and her family helped over many years.

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A service of commemoration this month at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church listed 144 people who have died homeless in London in the last year.

Wendy Smith, chairman of Waltham Forest Faith Communities Forum, said: "We invited the community to light a candle and to think about our friends who are homeless, who will be sleeping out on the streets tonight and those who have already died with no place to call home.

“The people we walk past everyday are slowly dying from the circumstances they have found themselves in and the harsh conditions in which they live.”

Revd Dan Copperwheat- Greenleaf Rd Baptist Church said: "The evening was a bittersweet moment; remembering those who have died whilst also celebrating them in life.

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“And to gather with people in our shared humanity and recognise the value and preciousness of life.

“This should motivate, drive and compel us to invest our lives in the lives of others.”

Arif Khan, Imam at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, Erskine Rd added: "Rather when we go home and lay down in our warm and cosy bed or when we have a warm meal in front of us, we should think of those who do not have that privilege.

"Standing in the open at night when it’s cold gave everyone including myself a glimpse of what homeless people are going through every day.”