Grenfell Tower: Muslims to deliver food hampers to London fire stations in gesture of gratitude after tragedy

Muslims across London are preparing to deliver food hampers to fire stations as a gesture of gratitude in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Hampers will be hand-delivered to Whitechapel, Shadwell, Shoreditch and Chingford fire stations in recognition of firefighters' efforts to save residents from the devastating blaze in north Kensington that claimed at least 80 lives last month.

GP Dr Monir Miah, from Tower Hamlets, has raised more than £700 to fund the hampers after setting up a crowdfunding page on JustGiving.

Writing on the fundraising page, he said the gifts would reflect the "solidarity, appreciation and support" felt by members of the Muslim community.

"The Fire Brigade do an extremely hard job, this was particularly evident during the unfortunate and devastating fire at Grenfell Tower. It was visible to all that our firemen and women go beyond the call of duty, putting their lives at risk, to help save others," the page reads.

A card attached to the gifts is expected to read: "Thank you for all you did, we know you tried your absolute best.

"The Quran says 'and whoever saves it [a person], it is as if he saved the whole of mankind' (Sura al-Ma'idah 5:32).

"Everything you have done, and continue to do is recognised and valued sincerely. We hope you enjoy our small token of gratitude to you. Muslim community - UK."

Firefighters tried desperately to rescue residents trapped in the blaze after flames engulfed the 24-storey building at an unprecedented speed.

Many emergency workers were “in tears” following the tragedy and could face psychological issues in the future, the London Fire Commissioner warned.

Dany Cotton said the tough conditions and shocking scenes they faced, including a child being thrown from an upper storey window, had left many traumatised. She also told how many were forced to make decisions about who to save, as it became clear not everyone would make it out of the building alive.

London Fire Brigade said more than 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines attended the scene.

Speaking the day after the fire, Ms Cotton told Sky News: “They were in and out of that building, committing time after time to rescue the people we knew were in there. There was never any hesitation.

“As the commissioner of the London Fire Brigade I was truly anxious for a long time about the safety of the building and my firefighters in there, but they were never going to stop until they physically could not get in there any more.

“The thing that worries me going forward is the psychological effect. A lot of my firefighters yesterday experienced things they have never seen before.

“I spoke to some people who were truly distressed – not least because they knew there were people still in there and they were battling through the heat to get there.

“What happened yesterday truly traumatised a lot of people."