'Hero' Grenfell grandfather Raymond Bernard sheltered six people in his flat
More tributes were heard on the last day of the commemorations before formal evidence into the Grenfell fire starts next week.
Wednesday 30 May 2018 19:01, UK
A "hero" grandfather who sheltered six people in his top-floor flat at Grenfell Tower was a "modern-day Moses", his sister told the inquiry into the deadly fire.
Raymond Bernard, 63, offered his bed to people trying to escape the inferno as he sat on the floor, before passing away with his dog Marley.
His sister, Bernadette Bernard, said that because there was "no way down to escape, the only alternative was to head towards the top floor".
Speaking on the last day of commemorations before formal evidence starts to be heard next week, Ms Bernard said: "Ray being a man, and the strongest, he was probably the last to die. He would have been so alone.
"We know from the details shared by the coroner that Ray was a hero on that tragic night."
The electrician, who had worked at historic sites including the Palace of Westminster and Buckingham Palace, came to London from Trinidad in 1969.
He had lived in the North Kensington tower for 30 years and had three grandchildren.
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"He did not deserve to die by suffocation, cyanide poisoning and ultimately burn until his remains are no more than 30% of who he was," Ms Bernard added.
"My beloved Ray was my modern-day Moses, my hero. Ray always had a smile on his face. He knew how to love without expecting anything in return."
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was among those in the audience on Wednesday, following criticism that politicians had been largely absent from the process. Elizabeth Campbell, the leader of Kensington council, was also present.
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Said Essaouini, the husband of Isra Ibrahim, who died alongside her brother and mother on the 23rd floor of Grenfell, told the inquiry he visits her grave for two hours every week.
"I will never find no-one like her, never ever, ever a woman like Isra again, and I am ripped up to pieces, only God knows how much I'm ripped up," he said.
"I feel like I lost my world. Every Friday I go to the cemetery and I sit down and I talk to her for two hours - I know she is listening to me and I know she loved me to the max as well.
"She is waiting for me in the next life. Every time I talk about her I feel her soul."
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Karim Khaloufi, the younger brother of 52-year-old victim Khadija Khaloufi, who tried to escape from the 17th floor, was unable to attend the inquiry after suffering delays with his visa.
Despite lawyers insisting that "very strenuous efforts" were made to get him to the hearing, his solicitor said: "He is very, very upset that he cannot be here".
Mr Khaloufi said in a statement: "No-one seems to care about our history or relationship to this case, or to care about our pain, our heartache or our desire for answers.
"I am now at a loss as to what I can do to defend my family's rights in this case and to represent my sister, who seems to have no representation."
Ms Khaloufi's husband survived, raising the family's hopes that she too had escaped. But this was not the case, and she has been buried in Morocco.
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In what was another difficult day for the families and friends left bereaved by the blaze, tributes to were delayed when an audience member broke down and needed assistance during Nabil Choucair's presentation.
Nabil himself was shaken by the incident and required a moment to collect himself before continuing.
As he returned to the room, he was greeted with a standing ovation and a supporter in the room called out: "We love you, Nabil."
Also heard on Wednesday were tributes to the Balkadi family, including six-month-old Leena Belkadi, who was found in her mother's arms.
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Nazanin Aghlani commemorated her disabled mother Sakineh Afrasehabi, 65, who had made her famous fish stew that final night.
He daughter said: "With the fire at Grenfell, something inside all of us died that night."
And victim Gary Maunders' sister Tammie Maunders said in a statement: "I think about how you must have felt that awful night, which I can't imagine.
"You've left a big hole in our lives and it will never be the same, especially at Christmas."