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Art eases children's shock from tower block blaze
Miranda Bryant27 Jul 2009
From left, Arbnor Hisena, Ilka Azevedo, John Mesagan, Hannah Bushby, Nadine Johnson and artist Esther Stocker
Child survivors of the Camberwell tower block fire are being helped through their trauma with art.
The South London Gallery, which backs onto the Sceaux Gardens Estate, where six died in the blaze on 3 July, has laid on extra art classes.
Gallery staff who work with families on the estate immediately offered their support after the fire, which police believe may have been caused by a faulty television.
They laid on daily workshops and the gallery became a collection point for donated clothes and toys. The children were also invited to a film night where they watched Monsters Inc. Nadine Johnson, 13, who lives on the estate, said: "The activities are good because you have something to do and it introduces you to art."
Her mother, Sue Eldridge, 39, who has another three children, was happy that the workshops kept them busy. "It's played an important role for us," she said.
Design alterations may have turned the tower block into a deathtrap, according to a surveyor. Arnold Tarling, who examined a similar block to Lakanal House days after the blaze, said changes could have "removed fire protection" between the flats.
