Bandaged up London Bridge attack victim Geoff Ho grabs a drink as Borough Market traders return to stalls after minute’s silence
Journalist Geoff Ho charged the attackers armed with knives - and was back as traders returned to their stalls
A HERO of the London Bridge terror attack returned to Borough Market for a pint as determined traders set up their stalls for the first time since the atrocity which saw eight people killed.
Eleven days after he charged the attackers armed with knives, Sunday Express business editor Geoff Ho posted a picture of himself enjoying a fruit juice and smiling.
He tweeted: "Made a detour on the way home to support all my friends at @boroughmarket. Totally worth it."
Earlier, he revealed he had been discharged from the Royal London Hospital, having recovered from being stabbed in the neck during the siege.
In another tweet, he spoke of explaining to a New York Times reporter at the market: "If you stop living your life & doing what you do, you become a victim. They win. That ain't happening."
Following a moving minute’s silence, scores of traders reopened their stalls for the first time since three attackers ploughed into pedestrians with a van on the nearby bridge before stabbing people in the famous market.
Paul Wheeler of Fresh Supplies fruit and vegetable stall struggled to hold back tears as he rang the market bell to signal its reopening at 10am.
He told The Sun: “I was only supposed to ring it once or twice but once I started I just couldn’t stop - the emotion of it really caught up with me.
“All the traders have been back inside since Monday clearing out old produce, sweeping and tidying up to get the market spic and span for everyone today.
“And now it’s business as usual because we’ve got to carry on - we’ve got to let them know we’re not going anywhere.”
Indeed, by only midday, Borough Market was bustling with activity and vast queues of visitors formed as usual in front of its many stalls, picking up lunch and free samples of delicious foods.
Americans Alexis Coticchia and Nicole Schumacher were just two who refused to let the atrocity stop them visiting the tourist hotspot - or picking up some British fish and chips.
Coticchia said: “We’re here on holiday and we weren’t going to let them stop us enjoying this place, if you do that, you’re just letting them win.
“We’re here to have fun - and eat.”
Ben Haywood, a manager of the Borough Cheese Company stall agreed that spirits were high: “If anything, it’s even busier than a usual Wednesday, there’s actually a really lovely mood here today.
“Borough Market is such a special place to work and has a proper, old market community.”
Indeed, Darren Brown’s Fish has had a spot at the market for over 16 years, when a mere six traders operated out of the bankside location.
David Ralph, a worker there said: “These days there’s probably hundreds but back then Darren was one of a dozen traders and he started out selling just six bags of scallops a day.
“We feel so sorry for the victims and everyone is just pulling together and getting back to work, as that’s what we’ve got to do now - that’s the British spirit isn’t it.”
While a number of policemen and women plus counsellors and fundraisers from charity Victim Support also made up the heaving crowd, it didn’t hamper the high spirits mingling in the air along with the smells of delicious roasting meat, freshly baked bread - and the most pungent of English cheeses.
Lucas Low and Athena Wu from Malaysia are due to fly home this afternoon after a holiday in the capital - and wanted to spend their last hours in the UK at the market.
Low said: “Our friends had always told us what an incredible place this is, with so many varieties of different food. We came down yesterday in the hope it would be open and when it wasn’t we decided to spend the last day of our trip here today. There’s no way we would have missed it.”
Canadian holidaymaker Ariel Ko agreed: “I’ve always seen amazing pictures of the food at Borough Market on Instagram so I had to come and check it out - I’m looking for these doughnuts!
“I’m going home tomorrow but I wouldn’t have spent my last day in London anywhere else.”
To donate to the Borough Market trader support fund visit the
One of many parents pushing their children through the throngs was Londoner Craig Law, whose 10-month-old son Hayden was snoozing peacefully in his pram.
He said: I work near London Bridge and would always walk through the market on my way there. I’m coming in today to meet some work friends with Hayden and was keen to take my usual route.
“I wouldn’t have let what happened stop me doing that.”
Over at Furners Fish stall worker Rabei Saibi took a break from serving up piping hot paella in the summer heat to tell The Sun: “I’m happy to see so many people have come here to support us today, trade has been great, especially given what happened.
“Everyone seems happy but is is still very upsetting, what happened so close to home, here.”
Ted Dawson of Ted’s Veg knows only too well how Saibi feels. As well as running his fruit and vegetable stall in the market he lives in a neighbouring street - and was there when the attack happened on the evening of Saturday June 3.
He said: “I still can’t believe it happened here, as I sat upstairs in my flat. It’s surreal.
"I keep thinking we’re just lucky it didn’t happen on a Saturday afternoon - when there would have been so many more people.
“We’ve taken a moment and won’t ever forget - but we’re getting back to work now.”
Borough Market has launched support fund to help traders suffering business losses since London Bridge terror attack - to donate to the trader support fund visit the