QPR helping Grenfell Tower fire children heal through play
The west London football club is supporting children affected by the Grenfell blaze after staging a fundraising match last year.
Tuesday 13 February 2018 13:02, UK
Eight months on from the Grenfell Tower disaster, children directly affected by the tragedy have been聽receiving expert聽coaching from their nearest football league club during the half-term holiday.聽
Queens Park Rangers have made it their business to be directly involved with the community ever since the devastating fire, especially with youngsters, some of whom have lost loved-ones and a place to call home.
Last September, the club staged a sell-out charity match at their Loftus Road ground, raising around a quarter of a million pounds to help the survivors. That received widespread media coverage, and the club has continued to be involved ever since, working away largely behind the scenes on community projects.
Club legend and former England International Andy Sinton, who has been overseeing the initiative, told Sky News: "We were all horrified to see the events of that June evening, watching it all unfold on the TV and seeing the pictures.
"From day one the club have been really active in trying to help the community recover."
Some of the children actually saw their relatives calling and waving in desperation from their windows in the tower on that fateful night. They would never see them again.
All of the children being expertly coached at the Westway Leisure Centre, a short distance from the burnt-out remains of the tower, know at least one person who lost their lives in the disaster.
Ten-year-old twins Mohammed and Abderrahman Elemrani spoke to Sky News.
Abderrahman said: "One of the boys in my school died in Grenfell."
His brother Mohammed added: "It was really upsetting."
And what about days when they are coached along with their friends? "They are happy days," said Mohammed, "because we play football".
Kim Taylor Smith, deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council, said: "We cannot begin to imagine what many of these children will have gone through after the Grenfell tragedy.
"We've invested nearly £2m in grant funding for community organisations working with children to look after their emotional and physical well-being since last June. These football sessions are a great chance for local children to meet famous faces, learn new skills and have fun."
The initiative appears to be working well as time ticks by and the disaster recedes further into the past.
They may indeed never forget what happened to their world on 14 June 2017, but at least they still have the rest of their lives to look forward to.