Marcia Haynes, deputy warden at All Saints Church, walked by the bin by Talbot Road just 20 minutes before the discovery was made by a refuse worker around 12.45pm yesterday (March 25).
The 68-year-old felt so stunned she thought she would faint, and says many others feel the same way.
She said: “I actually walked past there, went into the church, and about 20 minutes later, the police descended.
“I asked the officer what was wrong, and he said to me that there was a baby in a bag. I honestly believed that he was saying that someone had just left a baby.(Image: Newsquest)
“Then I heard there was a body. I was so shocked I had to stop shopping [for the food bank] and just go home and sit down and look at the wall because I thought I was going to faint.
“Everybody’s shocked. I’ve been here since 1966. I’ve never heard anything like this in my life.”
Baby found by bin collector in M&S bag outside Notting Hill church
She added that people in the area were feeling “very angry” at the way the baby was left.
A small memorial of flowers and a toy rabbit have been left near the black bin where Marcia said the baby was found.
A single candle burns on the step at the side of the church and a note reads: “God bless the little boy x.”
A police cordon and presence remains by the entrance of the church on Clydesdale Road.
Superintendent Owen Renowden of the Metropolitan Police pleaded outside the church today (March 26) for the mother to come forward.
He said: “As shocking and tragic as this is, my priority remains with the mother’s welfare and health.
“We are really worried about her wellbeing as she will recently have given birth.
“I know she will likely be feeling very frightened and going through an extremely difficult time.
“My priority is to help you – to make sure you receive medical assistance.”
The baby was found by a refuse worker in a bin in a black Marks and Spencer shopping bag with an avocado design on the side.
The worker immediately called the police who attended with the ambulance service, but the baby was declared dead at the scene.
Anyone with information who was in the area or who saw somebody with the bag is asked to come forward by calling 101 or online using reference 1879 of March 26.
