The funeral of our dear friend and founder of the East End Enquirer, Mark Baynes will take place on Tuesday 23rd August at 3pm in the East London Crematorium, Grange Road, London E13 OHB and afterwards from 4pm at the Turk’s Head Cafe in Wapping E1W 2PA (on the corner of Green Bank, Tench Street and Wapping Gardens).
Friends and colleagues of Mark are welcome to attend both the service and wake.
Mark’s family have requested family flowers only please and have chosen two charities, both very close to Mark’s heart for anyone wishing to make a donation:
London Wildlife Trust
The London Wildlife Trust works across London to protect wildlife across London. They take action to help wildlife flourish through practical conservation work allowing people to connect with nature and through campaigns and consultancy give wildlife a voice [Donate Here].
Queen Victoria Seamen’s Rest
Established in 1843, the Queen Victoria Seamen’s Rest provides accommodation and welfare support to active and retired seafarers, veterans of the armed forces and other homeless men in the East End of London [Donate Here].
Please be so kind as to share these details with your friends and colleagues who knew Mark and wish to pay their respects.
Thank you,
Vickie Flores
Twitter: @vickieflores / Instagram: @vickiefloresphoto
Dear readers of EastendEnquirer and Love Wapping.
I just wanted to express my deepest sympathy on here to Mark’s family/friends because I am extremely sad of Mark’s passing he is a great bloke.
Mark and I found each other you could say when the previous administration of Tower Hamlets Council decided to close the oldest secondary school in the Eastend. I along with the parents of 500 children of Raines Foundation School in Bethnal Green fought tooth and nail for a year to keep it open and with Mark’s invention by way of media coverage he gave us a fighting chance.
As I have already shared on Twitter you need the Mark’s of this world because he always gave 100% in getting to the bottom of the truth and of course we know some people don’t like that.
Rest In Peace Mark we love you for many reasons your tenacity, bravery, persistence, commitment, durability, kindness in showing empathy for others.
Hope to see all the readers at Marks funeral to celebrate his life.
God Bless
Kind Regards
Mickey Ambrose
https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local-council/campaign-petition-to-save-raine-s-foundation-school-3626746
Very very sad to hear Mark has died. An ace photographer fascinated by the local wildlife, he was always on the side of the underdog and determined to root out the corruption that LBTH has struggled with for many years. He loved and was devoted to Wapping and the Thames, but also helped many people in different ways – without publicising it at all. After we left the area over six years ago we kept an eye on his tweets. Soon people will come to realise even more the enormous amount of good work he did there.
Mark clearly made a difference to those issues that mattered to him, sad to hear he passed so young. Grateful for his support of East India Dock Road’s Queen Victoria Seamen’s Rest, a fabulous organisation providing accommodation and so much more for those that have worked at sea, as well as veterans and those in need in difficult times. They also support seafarers through their Centre at Tilbury. Thank you for Mark’s life.
Mark Baynes was an ally for the people of this borough. That term “ally” is often thrown about in a loose sense but in this Mark stood with ordinary tax payers and without fear or favour investigated how our money was being spent and what our local government was behaving. He would leave no stone unturned no matter how unpopular it made him with local powers. There were times when we all really needed Mark to speak truth to power and I think in his absence his value will be truly noted.
I attended Mark’s funeral today as I wanted to pay my respects to a man that helped me with trying to get justice for my mum. He had emailed me 3 weeks before he passed away in regards to something new that was happening at the care home mum passed away in.
After today I realise what an amazing, strong, empathic man he was. He helped me so much during my dark times.
Mark thank you for being there for me