Firefighters who risked their lives in the Grenfell Tower blaze joined stars of music and sport to play a charity football match raising cash for survivors.
Around 2,000 complimentary tickets were given to those directly affected, including residents, relatives of the victims, volunteers and emergency services after the blaze killed at least 80 and injured hundreds in the 24-storey west London tower block.
Former Premier League player Les Ferdinand, who grew up in the shadow of Grenfell Tower, helped organise the event with Queens Park Rangers chairman Tony Fernandes and Columbia Records’ Ferdy Unger-Hamilton.
Mr Ferdinand, who is now a coach at former club QPR, said: ‘As someone who grew up in the area, personally this is incredibly close to my own heart and having spoken to Tony (Fernandes), he was also keen to continue the work we’ve done in the community since the fire.
Players line up at the Queens Park Rangers ground at Loftus Road in remembrance of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire
‘A game, giving something back to the people of West London, seemed like the obvious thing to do.
‘I grew up on the Lancaster West estate, right next door to the Grenfell Tower.
‘I lived there from the age of five right up until I was about 22 and in the first-team squad at QPR.
‘If you lived on the estate, that’s where you used to hang out. It’s devastating to see a place where you spent so much of your childhood looking like something out of a disaster movie – it doesn’t seem like real life.
‘This game is our way of showing victims they have not been forgotten. We care what happens next because there is a lot more to be done in terms of rehousing dozens of families and rebuilding their lives.’
Clash: Two teams went head to head, captained by Ferdinand and Alan Shearer, in teams featuring Jose Mourinho, Mo Farah (L), Olly Murs, Marcus Mumford (L), Peter Crouch, Kevin Gallen, Trevor Sinclair and Clint Hill (Danny Jones pictured right)
Jose Mourinho takes time out to chat to young fans at the Game4Grenfell to raise cash for survivors of the June 14 fire
Firefighter Gregg Jules, who helped with the relief effort following the fire, played in the eagerly anticipated game at Loftus Road, just a mile from the site of the disaster.
The two teams, captained by Ferdinand and Alan Shearer, featured Jose Mourinho, David Seaman, Jarvis Cocker, Mo Farah, Olly Murs, Marcus Mumford, Peter Crouch, Kevin Gallen, Trevor Sinclair and Clint Hill.
Also walking down the tunnel for the 3pm Game4Grenfell kick-off were Olly Murs, Tinie Tempah, Jamie Dornan, Trevor Sinclair and Ally McCoist, with spectators including Cheryl Cole and former bandmate Nicola Roberts.
Left: Peter Crouch joined the star-studded crowd for the charity football match Right: Cheryl and Nicola posed alongside former professional footballer and football manager turned presenter and football analyst Chris Kamara
Team spirit: Mo Farah in the dressing room pictured in the dressing room before kick off alongside Olly Murs
Playing for a good cause: Damian Lewis of Team Ferdinand and Mo Farah of Team Ferdinand posed before the match
Keeping his fans happy: Former X Factor star Olly Murs of Team Ferdinand signed autographs for fans before the match
Tragedy: At least 80 died when flames engulfed the 24-storey block, while hundreds more were left homeless on June 14
Meanwhile the Government has been urged to appoint a social housing boss to safeguard tenants’ interests in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the west London inferno had left a sense of ‘frustration and anger’ that residents of the council-owned block were ‘ignored’.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, he proposed the introduction of a commissioner for social housing residents, tasked with giving tenants a voice on ‘the national stage’.
The June 14 disaster came against a backdrop of repeated fire safety concerns flagged by the tower’s residents, which were allegedly ignored by both the council and the organisation managing the building.
Team snap! Roy Hodgson and Cheryl during trophy presentation to youth teams #GAME4GRENFELL charity football match
Cheryl Cole joined former bandmate Nicola Roberts to watch the charity football match for survivors of the Grenfell fire
At least 80 died when flames engulfed the 24-storey block, while hundreds more were left homeless.
Both the council and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police on potential corporate manslaughter charges.
To donate for Game4Grenfell, text Grenfell to 70007, to give £3 for residents affected by the fire.
All ticket money will go to the Evening Standard’s fund for those touched by the tragedy, which claimed at least 80 lives in June.