Cornwall's 'Grenfell St' gets green heart

30 August 2019, 00:37 | Updated: 30 August 2019, 00:43

The 200-year old ‘Grenfell Street’ in a village in Cornwall is the first in the UK to have a road sign with the green Grenfell heart emblem on it.

Hundreds turned out to watch the road sign being unveiled by guests of Hugs for Grenfell.

This included survivors, bereaved and families affected by the Grenfell tower block fire on the 14th June 2017, where 72 people lost their lives, 223 people escaped.

Since then Hugs for Grenfell has invited 480 guests to Cornwall for a week long break to give the ‘brain a break’ from the horrors of the tragedy.

Coxswain of the Penlee lifeboat Path Harvey was also there, he with other crew members take the guests on the offshore boat as is one of dozens of organisations that give up their time and businesses to show the visitors a ‘good time’.

There’s no doubt that a ’special relationship’ has blossomed over the last two years, ensuring lots of lifelong friendships that have formed between the two communities.

Founder of Cornwall Hugs Grenfell Esmé Paige said: "We are constantly being told how divided we are as a society. 

“But here are two communities hundreds of miles apart, with all kinds of apparent differences, bonding and supporting each other solidly over two years.

"More than ever now, Grenfell survivors need our solidarity. They’re fighting on all our behalf for safer housing, for flammable cladding to be removed from tower blocks and for an independent social housing regulator. 

“By standing in solidarity in this way, we’re saying ‘we’re still with you’. In a small way, we are boosting their voice."

https://www.cornwallhugsgrenfell.org/