Ryan Bertrand has followed up his pledge to help those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire by making it clear his involvement will extend beyond financial donations to the victims’ fund.
The Southampton and England left-back, who will start for his country against Slovenia on Thursday, visited the site in June having posted a series of messages on social media expressing a desire to help. Up to 80 people are believed to have died in the fire at the tower block in Kensington, with Bertrand having initially hoped to assist efforts to rehouse the victims locally.
Asked if he had followed up that visit, Bertrand said: “We’re in the process of seeing if we can do a few things, and I don’t want to say too much, but things are ongoing. Basically, when I saw what had happened ... well, the world’s a bit crazy at the moment. Over the last few years there have been catastrophes everywhere but that was on our doorstep. Nearby. It resonated with me, so I just wanted to do something more.
“I had friends who grew up in similar circumstances, so it hit me. I had a few friends from the estate, so we wanted to see what we could do. I’m in a half-decent position so maybe I could do more than just donate. So I went down to the estate [two days after the fire] to ask questions, to see how things were going and get a feel for it and see what I could do to make a difference. It was a bit out of control. There was no main structure when I was down there and that was blocking things. No one knew who to go to, who was dealing with this or that.”
Bertrand, who grew up in Southwark but knows west London from his time as a Chelsea player, was reluctant to expand on his plans. “It struck a nerve,” he said. “Growing up in similar tower blocks when I was a kid, albeit in different areas of London, I’m familiar with the territory. My nan, my aunties, they still live in tower blocks and love it. It’s home to them.
“Donating is great but I took a bit of time and went down there hoping to try to change something, even if it was one family’s lives. I’m not saying: ‘I’m Ryan Bertrand flying in to see what I could do.’ I’m not the biggest footballer in the world. But I have some sort of status so I just wanted to see what I could do to help. I thought I could do more.”