Cornwall Hugs Grenfell took Cornwall’s visible, audible and physical solidarity to Kensington on Friday to join commemorations for the seventh anniversary of Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people on June 14, 2017.

Founder Esmé Page carried messages from business owners and individuals and returned with scores of ‘hugs’ and messages from some of the 500-plus guests who have visited the Duchy with the respite charity over the last seven years.

Cornwall Hugs’ placard carried the slogan ‘Cornwall to Kensington we stand together’ beneath a picture of the special Grenfell Street sign in Mousehole. The ancient granite street depicted contrasted starkly with the tower and emphasised the strength of solidarity across the 300-mile distance.

A new memorial plaque was added to Mousehole’s Grenfell Street and members of the Grenfell community helped Esmé to add a message with an image of the plaque to the ‘Wall of Remembrance’ beneath the tower. It carries the simple message, ‘From Cornwall with love. This new memorial plaque is mounted in Mousehole, Cornwall.’

At the Grenfell Memorial Service at All Saints Church, Notting Hill, Cornwall Hugs’ video of the charity’s song of solidarity from 2018, ‘Grenfell: From Today’, with Truro Cathedral Choir choristers and footage of Grenfell guests in Cornwall, was shown at the request of Anne-Marie Murphy who visited Cornwall last year.

She said of the song: “I have been listening to the choristers singing ‘Grenfell: From Today' on repeat. The first time I listened to it I was very overcome with emotion, just absolutely beautiful.”

At the memorial service, introducing the video, Esmé said: “We want you to know that you are not alone and that 300 miles away, there are thousands in Cornwall who still stand in solidarity with you.

“It was a day of hugs, tears and so many heart-felt exchanges. So many of the bereaved said how much the song had moved them. I wished the composer Philip Stopford and Andrew Longfield could have heard their comments - all the young choristers too, who connected so tenderly to the plight of their peers in London, when we recorded it.”

Over the course of the day Esmé encountered scores of past respite guests to Cornwall, from those who came just after the fire in 2017 to those who came in October 2023. They reminisced fondly of their time by the ocean and emphasised how vital the ongoing solidarity of their ‘sister’ community is.

Esmé explained: “All day long, Grenfell families and fire fighters came up to give hugs and send back messages to those who welcomed them in Cornwall. Several counsellors and support workers came to say how therapeutic the visits were for their clients.

“But it’s solidarity they most need now. As the survivors and bereaved wearily enter their eighth year of battling for basic justice and life-saving change, they all said how much they need others to help to amplify their voice to prevent further tragedy for others. With thousands of blocks still clad in flammable materials, another Grenfell, they predict, is just a matter of time.”

During the afternoon, children from the Grenfell community released white doves at the base of the tower, one for each of the 18 children who died in the tragedy, the youngest being Logan Gomes who was stillborn at seven months.

Cross-issue solidarity with Grenfell was strong with speakers from other campaigning groups demanding systematic follow-through on life-saving recommendations from public inquiries - as yet there is no mechanism which ensures this.

Jason Evans, from the Factor 8 campaign, who lost his father when he was four to infected blood, spoke powerfully as did a representative of the COVID-19 Bereaved group. Grenfell United, COVID-19 Bereaved and Factor 8 are now calling for the next Prime Minister to bring a 'National Oversight Mechanism', which would scrutinise and analyse the work done after inquests, government-commissioned reviews and public inquiries.

Jason Evans said: “When these inquiries deliver their recommendations there is nothing, to make them happen. The Grenfell fire public inquiry’s delayed final report is now due to be issued later this year.”

Before the annual silent walk, teenagers gave powerful speeches, picking up the baton in the fight for justice and the regulation needed to prevent another Grenfell tragedy.

One read a poem, ending ‘We weren’t allowed to speak as little girls and boys but now we’re getting older we’re making some noise!’ 

Across the Duchy, from Truro Cathedral to the Isles of Scilly and even outside the county in Cambridge and Lees, a special prayer written specially by the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, Bishop of St Germans and acting Bishop of Truro.

Throughout the day, on June 14, local radio stations carried remembrance reports and interviews with Cornwall Hugs, highlighting the Grenfell anniversary to Cornwall which has played such a key role in supporting those affected.