.gif)
10 August 2012 10:35
The chairman of the burned-down, family-run Croydon furniture store that became a symbol of last summer's riots has been invited to the Olympics Games closing ceremony by Nick Clegg.
The Deputy Prime Minister said Maurice Reeves, 81, was among a dozen "inspirational" people he had met over the past year who deserved a chance to be in the stadium for the culmination of London 2012.
Images of the 140-year-old House of Reeves engulfed by a massive blaze just over a year ago were among the most replayed in coverage of the riots in London and other English cities.
