Grenfell community gathers for final anniversary before tower demolition begins
The Government announced earlier this year that the remains of the building will be brought down.
It is thought the earliest that demolition will start is September and the process is expected to take around two years.
On Saturday evening, the annual silent walk will take place in west London to mark eight years since the blaze, followed by the reading of the names of the 72 dead, and speeches by campaigners.
The memorial beneath Grenfell Tower in west London (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
What is left of the tower has stood in place in the years since the disaster, with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words 'forever in our hearts'.
News of the Government's demolition decision earlier this year was met with criticism from some bereaved and survivors of the 2017 fire who expressed their upset and shock, saying they felt they had not had their views considered before the decision was taken.
Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner later said in an interview that she knew the meeting with those most closely affected was going to be 'really difficult' and that there was 'not a consensus' among everyone over what should happen to the tower.
Views have varied, with her department acknowledging there had been hopes for some of it to remain in place as a memorial to what happened while others had reported this would be 'too painful'.
The Government confirmed in February that engineering advice is that the tower 'is significantly damaged' and will get worse with time.
Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower, with recommendations including a 'sacred space', designed to be a 'peaceful place for remembering and reflecting'.
It is expected a planning application for a memorial could be submitted in late 2026.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said there was 'not a consensus' among everyone over what should happen to the tower (Jonathan Brady/PA)
The Government said it will also share further information about plans for a second site where materials from the tower 'which are not used in the memorial, or conserved, will be safely and respectfully laid to rest'.
Grenfell survivor Edward Daffarn said this year's anniversary will be 'all the more poignant by the fact that this is the last time that we will meet with the tower in situ'.
He added that it is difficult to think the tower will be pulled down 'before we have obtained any justice and while there are still people living in buildings with dangerous cladding'.
According to the Government's latest figures, published last month, there were 5,052 residential buildings in England which are 11 metres or taller identified as having unsafe cladding as of the end of April.
Fewer than half – 2,477 buildings or 49% – had either started or completed remediation works, with just a third – 1,652 buildings or 33% – having had remediation works finished.
Labour unveiled its remediation acceleration plan last year, pledging that, by the end of 2029, all buildings more than 59ft (18m) tall with unsafe cladding that are on a Government scheme will have been remediated.
For buildings over 11 metres with unsafe cladding, within the same timeframe those will either have been remediated, have a date for completion or the landlords will be liable for severe penalties, the Government said.
A spokesperson for Grenfell Next of Kin, which represents some of the bereaved, said: 'Eight years have passed, yet it feels just like yesterday when we frantically moved from door to door, hospital to hospital, searching for our loved ones.
'Our parents, children, partners, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren, were lost to a tragedy that was both horrific and unjust. The aftermath has been equally devastating.'
They said they have been 'granted one final chance to visit inside and pay our last respects' ahead of the 'dismantling of the Tower—a site where our loved ones were turned to ashes'.
The story of what happened at Grenfell, and the failures which led to the fire, are explored in a new documentary which will air on Netflix on June 20.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
39 minutes ago
- BBC News
Pray for food, Nigeria government tells its staff amid mockery
A call for all staff in Nigeria's ministry of agriculture to pray to help the country achieve food security has caused controversy. An internal memo from the head of the ministry's HR department urges staff to attend a solemn prayer session and fast for the next three Nigerians have responded by questioning the government's commitment to the task of bringing down the high cost of food. A press release from the agriculture ministry on Saturday downplayed the issue, saying the call for prayers was not an official policy to tackle food insecurity but was intended to boost staff wellbeing. "Just as the already existing monthly aerobic exercise and establishment of the gymnasium in the ministry are for physical fitness", it continued, and "as the regular medical check-ups of staff are for their health".At least 4.4 million people in Nigeria do not have enough food, according to UN estimates, with the country experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation following policy changes brought in by the new government since ever-increasing price of basic food staples was a one of the triggers for nationwide cost-of-living protests last year. Yams, for example, quadrupled in price from one year to the see the appeal for divine intervention as proof that the government is shirking its responsibility to citizens and taking a fatalistic officials say they have taken numerous steps to tackle the crisis, including giving farmers more than 1,000 tractors and over two million bags of reaction to the call to prayer online has ranged from people saying the ministry's leadership should be replaced with pastors and imams, to simply saying "Nigeria is a joke". More BBC stories on Nigeria: Heartbreak as cash-strapped Nigerians abandon their petsPeople turn to 'throw-away' rice for foodShould I stay or should I go? The dilemma for young NigeriansWhy this professor has a second job as a welder Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Community visibly emotional during candlelit vigil for Air India crash victims
Faith leaders from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities led the service on Saturday at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, where 20 of the victims are thought to have previously worshipped. One of the most emotional moments of the vigil came when Harrow Mayor, Councillor Anjana Patel, shared that two young girls had lost their father in the crash, just weeks after their mother died from cancer. Their father, Arjun Patoliya, had flown to Gujarat to scatter his wife Bharti's ashes following her death. He was returning home to his daughters, aged four and eight, when the plane went down. 'The saddest incident we have got here in Harrow is one parent had already died here because of cancer,' Cllr Patel said, as the crowd audibly gasped. 'The husband went to do the rituals in India and coming back, he was on board. He has left two little girls behind and the girls are now orphans. 'I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us.' She added: 'Caring is the most that we can do at this hour. 'We don't have any words to describe how the families and friends must be feeling, so what we can do is pray for them.' She also revealed how her sister-in-law's cousin had been killed in the crash. Local councillors, a local MP and residents packed into the temple for the ceremony, which included emotional tributes, candle lighting, and a message of condolence from the King. Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, said it was believed to be the highest number of British deaths ever recorded in a plane crash, with 53 UK nationals on board. 'When someone dies in illness or old age, we celebrate their lives,' he said. 'But when an air crash happens – completely unpredictable – people are taken away from us immediately, just like that.' 'We think of all those families sitting by the telephone, wondering if their loved ones were actually on the plane.' He said the Gujarati community in the UK was deeply affected, with victims having links to Harrow, Leicester, Birmingham and beyond. 'The difficulty the authorities have already got is: who are they visiting? Which family members were they coming to see in the UK?' he said. Councillor Hitesh Karia, who represents Pinner South ward and is a member of the temple's congregation, also shared the impact of the tragedy. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'It's nice that the local community can come together – the local support means a lot. 'Twenty devotees that come here have sadly lost their lives.' 'It shows there is a solidarity, and despite the high amount of diversity, we can come together when appropriate.' The vigil was held at the temple led by Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who previously told PA he knew 20 of the victims personally. Many in the hall quietly wept as candles were lit by representatives of all four faiths. 'The only feeling left is sadness – we can't do any more,' Mr Guruji said.
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Community visibly emotional during candlelit vigil for Air India crash victims
Faith leaders from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities led the service on Saturday at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, where 20 of the victims are thought to have previously worshipped. One of the most emotional moments of the vigil came when Harrow Mayor, Councillor Anjana Patel, shared that two young girls had lost their father in the crash, just weeks after their mother died from cancer. Their father, Arjun Patoliya, had flown to Gujarat to scatter his wife Bharti's ashes following her death. He was returning home to his daughters, aged four and eight, when the plane went down. 'The saddest incident we have got here in Harrow is one parent had already died here because of cancer,' Cllr Patel said, as the crowd audibly gasped. 'The husband went to do the rituals in India and coming back, he was on board. He has left two little girls behind and the girls are now orphans. 'I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us.' She added: 'Caring is the most that we can do at this hour. 'We don't have any words to describe how the families and friends must be feeling, so what we can do is pray for them.' She also revealed how her sister-in-law's cousin had been killed in the crash. Local councillors, a local MP and residents packed into the temple for the ceremony, which included emotional tributes, candle lighting, and a message of condolence from the King. Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, said it was believed to be the highest number of British deaths ever recorded in a plane crash, with 53 UK nationals on board. 'When someone dies in illness or old age, we celebrate their lives,' he said. 'But when an air crash happens – completely unpredictable – people are taken away from us immediately, just like that.' 'We think of all those families sitting by the telephone, wondering if their loved ones were actually on the plane.' He said the Gujarati community in the UK was deeply affected, with victims having links to Harrow, Leicester, Birmingham and beyond. 'The difficulty the authorities have already got is: who are they visiting? Which family members were they coming to see in the UK?' he said. Councillor Hitesh Karia, who represents Pinner South ward and is a member of the temple's congregation, also shared the impact of the tragedy. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'It's nice that the local community can come together – the local support means a lot. 'Twenty devotees that come here have sadly lost their lives.' 'It shows there is a solidarity, and despite the high amount of diversity, we can come together when appropriate.' The vigil was held at the temple led by Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who previously told PA he knew 20 of the victims personally. Many in the hall quietly wept as candles were lit by representatives of all four faiths. 'The only feeling left is sadness – we can't do any more,' Mr Guruji said.
