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Friday 23.06.2017 thedistrictpost.co.uk
Horsham’s only independent newspaper 01403 793777
HORSHAM | BILLINGSHURST | HENFIELD | PULBOROUGH | SOUTHWATER | STEYNING | STORRINGTON
Horsham’s Henfield Hire helping at Grenfell Tower fire tragedy martin read
Reporter
Many have watched the harrowing television pictures of the devastating fire at the Grenfell Tower high rise block of flats in London’s Notting Hill with a feeling of helplessness – wanting to help, but not really knowing what to do. But, Henfield Hire’s Operations Manager Darren Sawyers grabbed the initiative and telephoned the local council – Kensington & Chelsea – to see what assistance Henfield Hire might be able to give. After initially drawing a blank but committed to help, the company persisted, contacting the Methodist Church in Lancaster Road, near to the tower, not far from London’s iconic Portobello Road market. The church are holding nightly vigils at 8pm and, with so much needing to be done to support the victims of the tragedy, are providing a raft of practical help - and a Henfield van was soon on its way. Darren told the District Post: “The tower was a ghostly figure, still burning when we arrived, the smell was awful, taking our breath away. It was really frightening but we were lifted by the huge community spirit at the church. We met Miranda there – she is a teacher at a school attended by children from the tower and so is badly affected, like
so many in the district. Although everyone was very upset, a human chain soon formed to bring things up from the basement to load into our van for us to deliver to the response centres.” Dan Britton of Horsham’s Nightingale Road’s Henfield Hire also made the trip, saying: “In addition to cars we have many vans and trucks available and felt that we should be able to do something useful. But, it was very difficult to look at the tower, and a very emotional, surreal experience just to be near the site, but the heart-warming generosity that we found was so encouraging, almost over-whelming and we’re hoping to make another run up there.” The Notting Hill area of West London around the tower is very mixed and diverse, one of the original Caribbean communities emerging in the late 1940s among the large pleasant houses occupied by affluent families. The 24 storey Grenfell Tower – named after nearby Grenfell Road – was erected in the early 70s, just a few years after the first Notting Hill Carnival. Darren Sawyers summed up, telling us: “Linford Christie – Jamaican born - visited and donated some things for fund raising, along with Adele. Everyone is rallying round: we’ve got another van loaded with food and supplies and are ready to go again as soon as we get the call.”
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