Nobody showed their patriotic pride more than the residents of Bermondsey’s Kirby Estate, who decked out the estate in England flags to cheer on our footie team during the World Cup.
The estate hit headlines around the world after the News reported its proud residents put up more than 300 flags to cheer on Gareth Southgate and his team – earning it the moniker of ‘The World Cup Estate.’
The flags came down after the World Cup final between France and Croatia but will go back up on St George’s Day on April 23. The viral success of the flags meant the world’s media camped out in the estate to witness England fans’ reactions as the team were beaten in the semi-final 2-1 by Croatia.
England’s footie players even paid the residents of the estate a video call from Russia to thank them for their extraordinary support.
Chris Dowse, one of the organisers of the spectacle, said it soon turned back to normal following the end of the World Cup.
“We were really proud because no one expected England to get that far,” said Chris, who lives with his wife and two children just off Southwark Park Road.
“It’s been an amazing whirlwind really; none of us expected what happened to happen but we just embraced it and enjoyed every single moment of it from putting the flags up to doing all the social media and having the press attention and speaking to the England team.
“No one is going to top that from a small council estate.”