Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Strong support, beautiful symbol
THE FIRST ever Grenfell Street sign with the green heart emblem has been unveiled as a tribute to the lives lost in the tower block disaster.
Cornwall Hugs Grenfell, a charity set up in the wake of the fire to offer respite to the Grenfell community, has installed the street sign on Grenfell Street in Mousehole, Cornwall.
Nine members of the Grenfell community, including survivors and the bereaved, visited for the special unveiling marking the ‘special connection’ between the areas.
Karim Mussilhy, Vice Chair of Grenfell United, said: “The Cornwall community has been with us from the days immediately after the fire, offering respite and friendship hundreds of miles away, which has been a crucial factor in the healing of all those who have visited.
Since the charity started its campaign a few days after the fire, more than 480 of those from the Grenfell community have visited Cornwall on holiday.
Esmé Page, founder of Cornwall Hugs Grenell, said: “‘I believe this is truly a sign of our times! We hear so much about division in society but this solid ‘granite’ solidarity, that has grown between our two communities and is captured in this sign gives great hope.
“It expresses how ordinary people feel – they just want to support each other, however great the distance or apparent differences.”
The 200-year-old Grenfell Street in the picturesque fishing village of Mousehole is named after the old Cornish Grenfell family, one of whose descendants gave his name to the Grenfell Tower.
The street sign, designed by Cormac, a construction company employed by Cornwall Council, in antique style, shows ‘Grenfell Street’ in black lettering on a white background, followed by a simple green heart.
This is the iconic symbol of solidarity used by Grenfell United and now depicted at the top of the tower itself, against its white wrapping.
Ms Page added: “Both Cornish and Grenfell communities have been richly blessed by the bonds that have formed. The project has been characterised by extraordinary coincidence and this old Grenfell connection between Cornwall and Kensington is just such another curious surprise
“Mousehole has hosted more than 75 of the 480 Grenfell guests, so giving this old street a beautiful new sign is the perfect way to mark our solidarity in a lasting way.”