In our conversations and meetings with bereaved families, survivors and local residents, we have been hearing a range of views and ideas about what the future memorial should look like and about what people would like it to include.
As part of our ideas-gathering for the future memorial, we have been asking how a memorial could best create a place that represents the sentiment and feelings of the bereaved in particular, as well as survivors and local residents. We have also been exploring how the future memorial can ensure that awful day in June 2017, where 72 innocent lives were lost, is never forgotten.
Many people have told us they would like the memorial to incorporate green spaces, to convey height, and to re-use parts of the Tower, if it is safe to do so. One of the ideas we are aware of is that of a ‘vertical forest’ or ‘vertical garden’ on the Grenfell Tower site. We have also heard about people’s wishes for a garden, an area where children can play, and a memorial design that incorporates 72 individual elements, to honour and symbolise the 72 people that were lost.
We know we need to take time to share all the ideas we have heard with the bereaved, survivors and local community, so that we can consider together and ensure a future memorial that best reflects what matters to the community. We want to make sure that those most affected have every opportunity to share their ideas and thoughts and we will be continuing to gather views about the future memorial.
We, your co-chairs and community representatives for the Memorial Commission, feel privileged to be having these conversations with you. They are a vital part of our work to help us understand what matters most to people for the future memorial, and to help us make sure that the memorial will be developed closely by the community, for the community.
Later in the year we will be sharing more of the ideas that people have been telling us. If we have not spoken with you yet, could you tell us what you like to see in the future memorial? Do the ideas mentioned above fit with what you would like to see, or would you prefer something different?
If you would like to arrange a one-to-one conversation with a community representative, please get in touch with us via our contact page. We would be happy to arrange a time and place that works for each individual family.
You can see the main themes from some of our conversations so far in our word cloud, and hear directly from some of our community representatives and co-chairs in their recent commemorative video messages, published just before the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. We will shortly be producing a more detailed breakdown of what we have heard from families and the community, as well as the next steps in our ideas gathering. Please go to our contact page to sign up to receive our newsletter and other updates directly.
We look forward to hearing from you.