Grenfell memorial garden unveiled

Family of a Grenfell Tower victim have unveiled a memorial garden to mark the one year anniversary of the tragedy.

The family of one of the victims, named only as Sheila, paid around £10,000 for the garden unveiled at St Clement’s Church – in the shadow of the charred remains of the west London tower block. A mosaic plaque with different religious symbols was installed to reflect the neigh- bourhood’s diverse community. London mayor Sadiq Khan and Bishop of London the Rt Rev Dame Sarah Mullally performed a dedication at a service attended by survivors, community groups and emergency services. A survivor of the Grenfell Tower disaster has spoken out about challenges residents faced in persuading the local council to deal with problems before the fire, claiming there was an “attitude problem”.

Tiago Alves, 21, is still living in a hotel waiting to be rehoused. In an interview with the Big Issue magazine on the eve of the first anniversary of the tragedy, he recalled residents’ attempts to raise concerns with the council before the fire. Mr Alves said; “A lot of the communal amenities weren’t dealt with properly. It was difficult to get the council to listen to us.

“The council had an attitude problem towards us. To them we were just people living in social housing so what was the point in giving us a voice. They felt our voices didn’t matter.”