Chiswick Church Bells to Ring Out On Grenfell Anniversary

Bells at St Nicholas and Christ Church to toll 72 times once for each victim

Bell ringers at St Nicholas Church

Churches in Chiswick are to take part in a commemoration of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Bells at St Nicholas and Christ Church on Turnham Green are to be rung in remembrance of those that lost their lives.

Each year, following the fire on 14 June 2017 the bells of the local Church in North Kensington have been rung 72 times, once for each victim,

This year the community in North Kensington is understandably finding it difficult to mark the anniversary in the usual way with public services, memorials and gatherings of various kinds.

In consultation with members of the local community including Grenfell United, the bereaved and survivors Churches across London have come up with a new way to make this occasion, and express sympathy and support for those still affected by the tragedy. 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

On Sunday 14 June, bells in churches all across London would ring 72 times. Fr Alan will be at St Nicholas Church in Chiswick to ring the bell at 6pm.

This will initiate two minutes’ silence, after which there would be three more rings, one for each year since the fire itself. In this way, in the absence of public events, it is hoped that people in the capital might be reminded of the anniversary and those who still live with the memory of the fire would feel that this important moment for them is marked in a properly public way. An online vigil will begin at that point for those who wish to access it.

Churches across London and further afield have been 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 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.”

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June 14, 2020