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 as 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 lampposts 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.
The names of the 72 were read out ahead of a national minute’s silence at midday. The Queen, wearing green, and the Duchess of Sussex fell silent in Chester for their first official visit together. The silence was also observed at government buildings and at Buckingham Palace.
Mrs May, who was criticised for not meeting bereaved families when she first visited the scene, 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 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.
Eight people were rescued and 30 flats evacuated after a blaze broke out on the 14th floor of a block of flats in Glasgow’s Gorbals yesterday morning.
Twelve fire engines attended the blaze which began in a kitchen at the tower block in Ballater Street. Smoke could be seen billowing out across the area.
Resident Stacey Holmes, 27, said: ‘I never heard any fire alarms when the fire happened. I just heard screaming.’