Gill Kernick

Pandemic Memory Work and the National COVID Memorial Wall (UK) Date posted: August 8, 2025 A reflection on the visibility, values, and demands of pandemic memory work at the UK’s national COVID memorial.

We were pleased to welcome Sarah Wagner from @ritualsinthemaking.bsky.social at the Wall earlier this year. Here, she writes beautifully about our "Grief made public because private mourning was neither possible nor palatable." ❤️

ritualsinthemaking.org/2025/08/08/o...

#Grenfell 8 years
#foreverinourhearts

The lives of Grenfell Tower: the 72 victims of the fire Portraits of all 72 people who died in the Grenfell Tower fire, based on moving testimony from family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-i...

#Grenfell

London residents win £550,000 compensation in cladding defects case People living in housing association development in Bermondsey say they hope legal action will encourage others

Great to see this. #claddingcrisis #firesafety #equity #consequences

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Steel erectors working on 30th floor steelwork at Red Road, Glasgow. Then the highest flats in Europe. (1965)

Important substack from @peteapps.bsky.social on Trepsa HPL cladding.

peteapps.substack.com/p/the-trespa...
#Grenfell #FireSafety #Learning

Revealed: more than 200 Ronan Point-style blocks still have gas and may not have had strengthening work More than 200 tower blocks built in a method prone to collapse still have a gas supply and may not have had recommended strengthening works carried out.

Exclusive (and very worrying):

More than 200 blocks around England built in a way which makes them potentially vulnerable to collapse still have a gas supply and may not have had strengthening work

www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/reveale...

Superb!

Major new policy school at Cambridge University set to take on AI economy and reviving ‘left behind’ regions - Bennett Institute for Public Policy The Bennett School of Public Policy opens this October, and is already leading work on two of the most pressing policy problems of our time: implementing AI and revitalising post-industrial areas.

Here's our big @bennettinstitute.bsky.social news - we are becoming the fully-fledged Bennett School of Public Policy this autumn: www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/blog/bennett...

Join @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social in conversation with @gilliantett.bsky.social about her new book—The measure of progress - counting what really matters—at @waterstones.bsky.social in Cambridge on 29 April, 6pm.

Book your ticket: www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/events/an-ev...

Rayner to reveal government’s response to Grenfell Inquiry tomorrow: here's a reminder of the final report’s recommendations Deputy prime minister to make oral statement in House of Commons tomorrow afternoon

1:30 today
Government response to Inquiry recommendations. My thoughts aew with the #Grenfell community

www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/rayner-...

What 3 words describe the current culture in the Built Environment in a post-Grenfell context.

A couple of weeks ago, I facilitated an industry event at Arup, one of the questions we asked was this, what do you think?
#Grenfell #Change #BuiltEnvironment #Culture #Safety #FireSafety

#Grenfell
92 months. Thinking so much about our failure to really hear those impacted by disasters.
💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

I was just told that I have to remove “climate” from the title of an ongoing grant if I want to keep it. And publications from that grant cannot include “climate” and other forbidden words. I can’t believe I’m writing this from the United States of America. #AcademicSky

They say decisions about prosecutions will take another year to 18 months to determine.

And then poor competence and capture with testing and regulatory bodies creating the environment in which the ‘systemic dishonesty’ of the product manufacturers could thrive. Deregulatory agenda needs to look at the system in which it’s implemented.

I think more complex than that. Fundamental misunderstanding in industry about the regulatory environment. Relating to guidance (as opposed to the functional requirements) as regulations and then poor (and known to be poor) guidance.

From Chat GPT
**Part 2** (Chapters 3–6)
**Part 8** (Chapters 68–71)

And they should read what the Grenfell Inquiry said about deregulation @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social

The demolition of Grenfell, lazy thinking again causing so much pain.

How I wish we’d used all our brilliance to curate unthought solutions that honoured each and every one impacted.

open.substack.com/pub/gillkern...

One in four Grenfell firefighters exposed to toxic smoke now suffer long-term health disorders A total of 136 firefighters who were exposed to toxic smoke at Grenfell are now suffering from life-changing health effects, a new study has shown.

A total of 136 firefighters who were exposed to toxic smoke at Grenfell are now suffering from life-changing health effects, a new study has shown #UKhousing www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/one-in-...

Exclusive: The Ghosts of Grenfell - No penalties for UK firms that used deadly building material When the deadly Grenfell Tower blaze in 2017 led to revelations that high-rise public housing buildings across Britain were wrapped in flammable cladding, the government vowed the building contractors responsible would pay for their negligence.

V. Interesting
In an apparent (& unintentional) own goal, the government disincentivised councils from recovering money for remediating as awards go to the government, but legal costs are borne by the council.
@reuters.com
#Genfell #firesafety #compensation
www.reuters.com/world/uk/gho...

Great essay

The simple truth is that the deaths that occurred were all avoidable and that those who lived in the tower were badly failed…in most cases through incompetence but in some cases through dishonesty and greed.
Moore Bick Grenfell Inquiry
#90months #Foreverinourhearts

Building Safety Act: Complaining Won’t Restore Trust This post examines the systemic failures that led to the Grenfell Tower fire and explores why complaining about the teething pains in implementing

This article examines the systemic failures that led to the Grenfell Tower fire and argues that complaining about the (very real) teething pains in implementing the Building Safety Act misses the point and won't restore trust.
#FireSafety #Learning #Grenfell

Ominous
#Grenfell

I wonder how much this would change if we were all a little kinder and more mindful of the impact of our decisions.
#healthandsafety #kindness
press.hse.gov.uk/2024/11/20/h...

Snow from #Trellick.
💕