A COMMUNITY-SPIRITED street pastor lent his support to the victims, families and those affected by the Greenfell Tower fire by spending three days at the scene.

Phil Norton, co-ordinator of the Basildon and Billericay Street Pastors, was tasked to help out in the community in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.

As part of his role in the the group, made up of volunteers linked to local churches who care for those enjoying a night out, he became involved in a new initiative named Response Pastors.

The scheme, run by the Ascension Trust, which also runs the street pastors, draws on help from volunteers to offer trauma support in the community.

Just hours after the fire broke out, he was tasked to head to West London and lend a helping hand.

He said: “I got a call on Wednesday morning to ask whether I could go to London to help out with the fire.

“I had seen the news that morning and I was devastated about how quickly the fire had spread.

“I said that I was available and I got to St Clements Church in Kensington by 3pm that afternoon. I was given the responsibility of being the on-the-ground team leader.

“We had more response pastors arriving from all over the country and I sent them out in different groups to see where we could help.”

At the scene, Mr Norton said there was a sense of “controlled manic.”

He said: “There was huge evacuation of the local community because they feared that the tower block could fall down at any stage. Hundreds of people were milling around. There were friends and family wondering if their family were still alive.

“We were just there as a uniformed presence to signpost people to the right places and support other projects. We were there for people who just needed to be with somebody for a little while. We had a team at the methodist church for three or four days and supported them while they ran their prayer vigil.

“We listened to people’s stories, gave them a hug and offered them a short prayer of sympathy and hope.”

Mr Norton said his adrenalin kicked him, which helped him to focus and help others. It was only when he left the scene that he started to realise the impact.

He said: “By the time I handed over on Friday afternoon, that’s when I started to release my own emotions. It didn’t hit my until I got back home to security myself. Those people don’t have a home to go to.

“It was emotional and draining. I want to applaud the emergency services, who were fantastic and the local churches who had really risen to the challenge.”