Nursery which was inside Grenfell Tower gets permanent home

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter

A nursery that was inside Grenfell Tower has finally got a permanent home after five years.

Grenfell Early Years Nursery was based in Grenfell Tower for 30 years before the tragic fire which killed 72 people on June 14, 2017.

Many of the children who attended were caught up in the blaze and managed to escape.

It has now been given a new home at the Ilys Booker Centre in Lower Clarendon Road and will open this summer.

Kensington and Chelsea council has organised a £2million revamp to make space for the nursery. There will be a new roof terrace and improved indoor and outdoor spaces where children can play.

Since 2021 the children have been based at Oxford Gardens Primary School.

The nursery will have space for children aged between one and three attending full-time and part-time and is part of the Lancaster West Children’s Community Network.

The community organisation aims to support users regardless of their background or need for childcare or family support.

Nursery manager Shirley Sylvester said: “Myself and the Grenfell Early Years staff team are extremely excited to have a permanent home again on the Lancaster west estate.

“It means so much to us all to be able to help a larger number of children and families as we have done previously, and we cannot wait to expand our services and start to develop new initiatives that will benefit our local community.”

Pictured top: An atrist’s impression of what the nursery could look like