Grenfell | Forever in our Hearts

14^th June 2023 marks the sixth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire.

On 14^th June 2017, across the nation, we listened to news broadcasts and watched helplessly as the London Fire Brigade battled one of the worst disasters in British peacetime.

Whilst the public inquiry has now ended and it is anticipated that the report will be published later this year, the devastating impact of the fire is still felt by survivors and the bereaved. Today we take a moment to remember the 72 people who lost their lives and those whose lives were changed forever. We thank the London emergency services who worked tirelessly on the ground to try and tackle the blaze and provided medical treatment to those affected.

The Tragedy of Grenfell

The tragedy of Grenfell has inspired continuous campaigning that six years later has led to one of the biggest Social Housing reforms in recent history, the ‘Social Housing White Paper.’ These reforms place an emphasis on resident safety, resident voice, performance monitoring and ensuring that social housing residents live in good quality homes. Whilst these changes will massively improve the Social Housing sector there is still much work and campaigning to be done.

Grenfell support networks and campaigns

There are many support networks available including the NHS Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service (grenfellwellbeing.cnwl.nhs.uk) that was set up to support the local community and those affected. They provide a wide range of services to survivors and the bereaved that include mental wellbeing and enhanced health checks to manage any long-term impacts on survivors’ health. The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission (grenfelltowermemorial.co.uk) also provide wellbeing support and are working with the local community to develop and design a memorial to honour those who lost their lives and those whose lives will never be the same again.

The Grenfell Foundation

The Grenfell Foundation (grenfellfoundation.org.uk) and Grenfell United (grenfellunited.org.uk) provide a support network but also have campaigned successfully for changes to social housing standards. Their work and aims are to ensure that those in charge of policy making do not forget the lessons learned from the inquiry so nothing similar to the Grenfell tragedy can ever happen again.

Grenfell – Forever in our Hearts

This piece was kindly written by Zetetick volunteer, Suzy Thomas. If you are interested in volunteering with Zetetick then please head here.

Cover image: Street art in Ladbroke Grove, West London, commemorating the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire