Teenagers in one of Britain’s poorest boroughs are hiring expensive supercars to help celebrate the end of their school days.
Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Bentleys are being rented by 16-year-olds in Tower Hamlets, East London, for their National Record of Achievement (NRA) ceremony, a prom-like event that marks the end of compulsory schooling.
Many of the cars would cost more to buy than homes in the area.
High life: Aminul Mishu Alam, 16, walks past cars parked on a Tower Hamlets council estate - one of Britain's most deprived areas
Having fun: Rezaul Alom, 16, points at the camera as he drives past with Mahir Magnet Choudhury (L), and Nazmul Islam (2nd R) in the Bentley they hired
Glamour: Halima Miah, 16, arrives for her graduation event in a Ferrari - a trend that is growing in this part of London
Admiring crowds: School children watch as Ujjol Hussain, 16, is driven past in a hired Lamborghini into Swanlea School graduation day
'Showing off': These students drive past the school and into the playground in their hired Mercedes-Benz
These Lamborghinis, Ferraris and even Bentleys on the gritty streets of East London were rented by 16-year-olds to celebrate leaving school, and they proudly admit it's all about 'showing off' and getting time in the 'spotlight'.
The vehicles can cost up to £300,000 to buy, yet one bedroom flats in some parts of the borough are worth as little as £70,000.
The group wanted to head to their National Record of Achievement (NRA) ceremony in style, and found this spectacular to attend their prom-like celebration.
'It's showing off, basically. Playing music, going from area to area to area,' said Foyzur Rahman, a pupil at Swanlea School, who attended the ceremony this year and split a £400 fee with a friend to rent an Audi S4 for four days.
'Showing off your car, just everyone looking at you. It's like your spotlight,' Rahman said.
'When every NRA comes you just feel excited for the kids,' said Ibrahim Hussain who went through the rite of passage last year and works part-time at his brother's car-hire business, which rents out vehicles for the ceremonies.
'Certain people obviously don't want to spend the money, you can understand that, their parents might be not working. But certain kids, obviously, they're crazy, they'll save up from young and they just want to hire it,' Hussain said.
Tough upbringing: Reyaz Rahman, 16, poses in Tower Hamlets, in front of homes that are worth less than some of the cars on show
Local residents look at a Ferrari as they stand on a balcony at a social housing estate - an area where at least one in ten are without work
Admiring: A man photographs this parked supercar while chatting on another mobile phone, with a makeshift washing line to his left
Sharing a joke: Aisha, 16, talks to fellow pupil Tanvir Shahriyar, 16, next to his hired Ferrari, on the Rickman Street Estate during Morpeth School graduation day
Mates: Schoolboys (L-R) Mahir Magnet Choudhury , 16, Nazmul Islam, 16 and Rezaul Alom, 16, stand by a Bentley, which they hired
A police officer holds his bike with ome and and gesticulates with the other next to a classic black Mustang
Larking about: Tahmina Ahmed, 16, poses in front of a Rolls Royce hired by friends for a parade of 'supercars' to celebrate leaving school
Tower Hamlets is home to the largest Bangladeshi community in Britain, and the majority of pupils taking part are of Bangladeshi origin.
Abdul Hasnath, a senior youth worker with the Osmani Trust youth and community organisation, said the prom-like celebrations probably caught on 14 or 15 years ago, with pupils hiring limousines, but have gotten more lavish - and expensive - since.
'It was quite small at that time, but obviously now it's probably the biggest date on their diaries, including Eid (the Muslim holiday) and everything else.' he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment