Church bells across London will ring 72 times to at 6pm on Sunday, 14th June to mark the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, in a coordinated effort to ensure the victims of the tragedy continue to be remembered.
Over 80 churches across the Capital, including St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Southwark Cathedral will join the bell ringing, as will St Clement Notting Dale, the parish in which Grenfell Tower stands. The 72 rings will mark the beginning of two minutes silence, observed in the local community and elsewhere in memory of those who died.
Churches across London and further afield are invited by the Bishop of Kensington, the Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin, to join in the act of remembrance.
Churches across the Kensington Area, under the leadership of the Bishop of Kensington, were instrumental in offering support immediately following the fire in 2017, and in supporting the community’s wellbeing and cohesion in the three years that have followed.
Bishop Graham worked closely with the community in the aftermath of the fire and undertook a series of interviews that culminated in the publication of a report, “The Social Legacy of Grenfell”. This sought to identify the societal issues that Grenfell brought to the fore and posed an agenda for change in wider society, to improve community cohesion and wellbeing.
The Bishop of Kensington, the Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin, said: “Nearly three years ago, the tragedy at Grenfell Tower left us wondering how this could happen in a twenty-first century city like London. We are now facing a very different tragedy in the form of coronavirus, but we continue to ask similar questions. As we try to make sense of what we are living through today, let’s not forget that hundreds of families are still trying to make sense of what happened on that day in June 2017. Life has not moved on for the families and friends of the 72 victims - they still mourn the loss of their loved ones and seek justice.
“On Sunday 14th June bells will ring across our nation; bells of remembrance, of sympathy and support for those whose lives were changed forever that day and of hope that nothing like it will ever happen again. I invite as many churches as possible to join in ringing their bells, and those who listen to join in the silence that follows to remember this tragedy that affected our national life so deeply.”
Grenfell United, the bereaved families and survivors group, said: "It means a lot to our families and the community that across London bells will ring out in memory of 72 loved ones lost at Grenfell. Thank you to all faith communities across London that stand with our community in North Kensington to pay respect and show that 72 lives are forever in our hearts."