What you can do to help in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire

It’s often easy to feel powerless in the face of such tragedies as the Grenfell Tower fire, but there are things you can do to help those affected.

Several people have died after a huge fire destroyed a tower block in west London, and those who have survived have lost their homes and possessions. As such, there are practical ways you can pitch in – whether you’re around the area or further afield.

Various locations near the tower block have opened their doors to victims of the blaze, and they’re also taking donations to help those affected.

These could include food, water, clothes, toiletries and female sanitary items.

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Places you can head to that are taking donations include: St Clement’s Church, Central Gurduara, the Tabernacle Christian Centre, the Maxilla social club, the Latymer Christian Centre and Westway Sports Centre.

If you aren’t in the London area, you can also donate money to help victims of the blaze. As with donation pages set up after recent crises, be careful when donating to ensure that the page isn’t a fake.

One JustGiving page has raised over £22,000 so far. On the page, JustGiving says: “We’ll be holding the funds raised until we have worked with each page owner to work out the best way to the get the funds to those in need,” which is a good way of knowing that your money will go to the right place.

The Rugby Portobello Trust has also set up an Amazon wishlist where you can order necessities and get them sent straight to the relief centre. You can see the list here.

The leader of Kensington and Chelsea Borough Nick Paget-Brown said “several hundred” people would have been in the block when the fire broke out.