A Stapleford mum says she’s ‘shocked’ by the ‘overwhelming’ support of local residents as she prepares to drive a van of resources to survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire.
Tara Pickering, 34, of Archer Road, is a mum of four and started collecting donations two days after the disaster which occurred on June 14.
She and councillor Richard MacRae, of Broxtowe Borough Council, have been collecting resources and Richard has found a van to transport the goods to London on Monday (July 3).
Tara says they have collected clothes, children’s toys, electrical equipment, chairs and tables for families waiting to be rehoused following the blaze.
She said: “The response we’ve got has been overwhelming. We’ve got those kinds of things. We’ve got nappies and sanitary towels. They’re the things people don’t think of.
“We’ve got a two-ring cooker and a heater. They [survivors] need everything, literally everything.”
The blaze, which started by a faulty fridge-freezer, is feared to have killed at least 79 people.
The news comes after Notts TV reported an Arnold charity will deliver coats, shoes and schools uniforms to 20 families on Friday (June 30).
Tara says she has been in contact with charities in London liaising with survivors who told her they have been inundated with clothes donated from people across the country and she has had to tell Stapleford residents not to donate as many clothes.
“We’ve had a bit of a backlash when we started collecting. Every charity – in London – needed stuff,” she said.
“Now it’s becoming ‘we don’t need this, we don’t need that’. A local nursery needed toys and tables and chairs – and within four hours they had it all. We’re going down on Monday and we’re hoping that it’s not all going to go to waste. We’ve got a van full of stuff.”
Sparkle Daycare nursery, Church Street, put on a cake sale last week and raised £50 for the cause – which Tara says is likely to be given to London charities to spend on essential items for survivors.
While the William Lilley Infant and Nursery School, Halls Road, has arranged a non-uniform day this Friday (June 30) where pupils will pay a pound to wear their own clothes.
The money raised will also go to London charities.
Tara said: “Stapleford has really come together as a community. We would like to carry it on, so it’s doesn’t end here. If any of the victims need anything in the future, we want to get a storage container and help in the future.
“We don’t want to take things down on Monday and that’s it. We want to carry this on, I’m really proud. The community has really come together, it’s beautiful. I’m shocked at how everyone’s come together.”
Cllr MacRae added: “I am impressed with the continued work Tara does not only with this collection for Grenfell, which I am honoured to be helping to deliver next week, but her other work I have become aware of.
“Tara has done various collections which in turn have helped many 100s of people who are in desperate need. Stapleford residents are great at bringing unity to the community and it’s people like Tara who at the forefront of doing this.”
Nottingham City Council, meanwhile, is seeking information from landlords of privately-owned high-rise tower blocks to ensure they meet safety regulations.
The authority, with its housing management company Nottingham City Homes, is in the process of reviewing its own 13 high-rise properties.
The council has previously told the Government none of them are clad in the same material present at Grenfell Tower.
Cladding is the external insulation material attached to the walls of tens of thousands of high-rise blocks in the UK.
The fire at the North Kensington flats appeared to spread freely across its surface and accelerate the speed of the blaze, leading to the Government ordering a safety review of ‘similar’ cladding systems.
Nottingham City Council has written to residents in its 13 tower blocks, saying it will install sprinklers in them as “an added safety measure”.
But the authority has asked the Government to look into the safety of private properties, to consider what changes may be needed to housing legislation, planning requirements and building regulations to improve safety standards in such blocks.
And it has begun contacting landlords asking them to provide information such as assessments of materials used in any cladding and reviews of fire safety procedures.
Council leader John Collins said: “The focus since the Grenfell tragedy has been on council and social housing. However, we’re not just concerned about fire safety in the properties that we own, but all tower blocks in the city.
“Since building control was de-regulated some years ago, a number of these properties will have had limited council input as private firms as well as councils have been able to carry out building regulation checks.
“That’s why we are writing to all the owners of these properties and asking them the same questions that the Government is asking of councils.
“We are urging all tower block owners that they treat our request with the utmost urgency and if we don’t get a prompt response then we will ask Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue service to undertake risk-based inspections.”
The council says it is in the process of contacting universities and hospitals to carry out the same checks, while Nottingham City Homes is extending its review beyond high rises to all types of flats.
