Hope and bitter tears as Grenfell bathes in green
Families’ vigils one year on from tragedy that killed 72
THE charred remains of the Grenfell Tower are hidden by sheeting, partly to protect the grieving from more trauma.
But yesterday – at 12.54am, the time of the first call reporting the fire one year ago – the west London tower was lit up in green.
The colour has been adopted as a symbol of grief and hope in the wake of the inferno that claimed 72 lives.
Tower blocks and landmarks including Battersea Fire Station, Kensington Palace and Downing Street also went green in a mark of solidarity.
Families later marched to the base of the tower, many with tears streaming down their faces, and pinned photographs of their dead loved ones to the ‘wall of truth’.
And a the afternoon wore on the surrounding streets turned green.
Those paying their respects at a series of commemorations and vigils sported green clothing and carried heart-shaped balloons in the same colour. Green ribbons bedecked lamp-posts while pop singer Adele and hip hop artist Stormzy joined the crowds.
Adele, who had joined a vigil immediately after the blaze, sang along as the Soul Sanctuary gospel choir performed the Bill Withers hit Lean on Me.
Stormzy stood quietly before posing for pictures with children affected by the tragedy. He gave a politically charged performance at the Brit awards this year during which he sang: ‘Yo, Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell?’
The names of the 72 were read out ahead of a national minute’s silence at midday. The Queen, wearing a fetching shade of green, and the Duchess of Sussex fell Star: Adele among the crowds silent in Chester for their first official visit together. The silence was also observed at government buildings and at Buckingham Palace, where the Duke of Cambridge paid his respects privately ahead of presenting honours.
Mrs May, who was criticised for not meeting bereaved families when she first visited the scene, Tearful: A memorial service wrote on Twitter that she wanted to pay tribute to the strength and dignity of the families and their friends. Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn arrived at the tower shortly before 6pm, wearing a green sash around his neck. He left a message of support on the wall of truth.
A public inquiry is under way into the fire and its causes. Housing chiefs and contractors must answer questions including why the 24-storey tower was wrapped in flammable cladding and there was no sprinkler system to stop the blaze spreading.
Antonio Roncolato, 57, was woken in his flat on the tenth floor at 1.40am on June 14 last year by a frantic call from his son Christopher, 26. The restaurant manager said: ‘Bit by bit, we are rebuilding, but that is not the important thing for me today. We have to send out the message so that this can never happen again. We have to make sure our voices are heard.’
Mr Roncolato, who has yet to be permanently rehomed, added: ‘There will be some comfort, if you can call it that, when the inquiry finds who is accountable and the police bring them to justice. But now, believe me, the wounds are still very much open.’
Natasha Elcock was one of the last residents to be rescued from the tower and is now a member of the survivor group Grenfell United. She told the BBC: ‘We could have been the most angry community out there because of what happened, but we’ve chosen to be dignified, be calm. Ultimately, that’s earned us respect.
‘We really want to ensure that we change so much that Grenfell is not remembered because it killed 72 people but because it has a legacy of change – within social housing, the way people are treated.’
Faith and community leaders also released doves into the sky to mark each lost life.
56, is a site manager in the utilities industry with two grown-up children. She lives with her partner in West London. Her treatment: dental implants and bridges with extensive preparatory work. IN My childhood, I remember having great teeth, but I had an accident in my 20s that left me with missing and damaged teeth.
I hated smiling — they just didn’t look nice and it made me feel very self-conscious.
The older I got, the more I wanted to go down the implant route. I didn’t just want to patch up my existing teeth, I wanted new ones. Unfortunately, my first
experience three- andahalf years ago went horribly wrong.
I don’t want to go into detail, but I was in pain, I couldn’t eat and I couldn’t move my tongue. It had to be fixed.
My sister had a friend who had previously been to Dr Anoop Maini at Aqua Dental Clinic, in Pinner, Middlesex. The first time I went to see him I was petrified, but he put me at ease.
scans showed that I had a terrible infection in my jawbone, so I had to have antibiotics and all the debris from the failed implants had to be removed.
The implants were all done in a day — I was sedated, but conscious.
The finished article was incredible. I kept thinking they looked so white!
I had to take out a loan and use savings, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. It’s opened up my life.
I work with lots of men and one of the guys has even had his done.
DENTIST DR ANOOP MAINI
SAYS: Maria was in a lot of discomfort when she came to see us. she’d had implants that hadn’t worked, so her teeth were painful and she couldn’t eat or even move her mouth.
Her jaws were full of infection, so the first thing we had to do was deal with that. she needed IV antibiotics and to have all the infection cleaned.
Her teeth needed removing, so the options were removable dentures or fixed dental bridges supported by implants. she chose the latter.
she had a temporary bridge for six months, then the final bridges.
It really did change her life.