A charity raising millions of pounds for those affected by the Grenfell Tower disaster has warned families will need long-term compassionate support.

K&C Foundation, which has been based close to the scene of the tragedy in North Kensington for nearly 10 years, said the help must be “rooted in the local community”.

Director of the independent charity, Susan Dolton, spoke out as its Grenfell Tower Fund passed the £4.5 million mark.

She warned against immediate deadlines for accessing funds, saying: “Although we have already made substantial financial commitments to the families affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy, this is not a situation for quick fixes or immediate deadlines.

“What is needed, and what we at the K&C Foundation are committed to deliver, is long-term compassionate support and care based locally here in the community.

“We appreciate that this is an extremely stressful time and that people will want to come forward in their own time to access support."

Ms Dolton continued: “As such, we need to make sure families can get direct support at the right time, and in the right way, and that is what we are delivering by working with partners with the necessary expertise.”

Video Loading

Thanking those who had given to the charity’s fund, she added: “We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated to the K&C Foundation’s Grenfell Tower Fund.

“The devastating fire has prompted a truly overwhelming response from both individuals and businesses across the UK and abroad.

“Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones, have been injured and who have lost their homes and belongings.

Inside Grenfell Tower

“We are focused on ensuring that 100% of the monies raised goes to these people who have been directly affected by the fire, and to the local community.

“The donations we have received have no deadlines attached to them in terms of when they should be spent and our approach will be that people can access support at a time which is most appropriate to them.”

She said the funds had come from 25,000 donors.

Where the money has gone?

Within days of the tragedy, an initial £120,000 was made available to six organisations working on the frontline due to the Foundation’s existing relationships with local charities.

The Rugby Portobello Trust, ClementJames Centre, Venture Community Association, The Harrow Club, Westway Trust working at the Westway Sports Centre and Latymer Community Church were all able to quickly pass this funding on in the form of payments to people from Grenfell Tower who had lost their homes or those in the wider area who had been displaced.

Donations totalling £1.2m have been committed by the K&C Foundation to a joint charity initiative with British Red Cross and London Emergencies Trust, coordinated by the Charity Commission.

The K&C Foundation has set aside a further £1.2 million for ‘Fresh Start’ grants of £10,000 for every family from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk to help them rebuild their lives.

What about the remaining funds?

The K&C Foundation say its ongoing response will adapt in line with the total amount raised for the Grenfell Tower Fund as donations continue to come in.

It said: “The developing needs of residents and the local community will remain at the heart of any response by the K&C Foundation, who will work very closely with the affected community, local voluntary sector, schools and faith groups to ensure that the donations received are used to best effect and benefit those they were intended for in the medium and longer term."

Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.

You can even set it to receive push notifications for all the breaking news in your area.

Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android now!