Highbury writer Henry Hemming says people coming together to clean up after the riots is a sign that Britain is not broken

A north London author has declared “Britain is not broken” despite the recent London riots.

Henry Hemming’s book Together: How Small Groups Achieve Big Things was published just days before violence first broke out.

It reveals how the internet has helped small groups, from knitting circles to five-a-side teams, to flourish and how they can “achieve big things”.

Published with the tagline “why Britain is not broken” and against a backdrop of the darkest excesses of what groups are capable of, it might seem like the book had unfortunate timing.

But despite the gloom gripping the country, the author has stood by the picture he paints.

The 31-year-old Highbury resident said: “The book looks at why people come together in the first place. It could be shared interests like reading or bingo – or the fact that your neighbourhood is under attack.

“You see it with all the people who came together to clear up their areas in the aftermath of looting.

“Events like this will often bring people together and cause them to form groups.

“I don’t see the looters as being the majority.

“The emphasis should be a lot more on the people coming out to clean their neighbourhoods and streets – that to me is evidence that Britain is not broken.”

The book documents a revival of small clubs, from beekeepers to historical re-enactors and women’s institutes, and claims there has been a nationwide surge largely driven by the internet.

But it also examines the power of group psychology, offering some explanation for the chaos witnessed in the capital.

“There’s a whole chapter about group polarisation,” he says, “and how it’s very easy for groups to egg each other on and do things even more extreme than they would on their own.

“Most of the time it’s benign – such as the book group I spoke to that dresses up according to what they’re reading. But it can also help you understand a lot of the rioting. In an unfortunate way, the book has become very topical.”

London24’s Londoner of the Day aims to find people in the capital who have done something special or made the news and created a talking point for the day. It can be someone famous or an unsung hero such as a charity stalwart.

If you’d like to nominate someone for a future Londoner of the Day mention you can email London24 editor Simon Bull at simon.bull@archant.co.uk