An Ely woman loaded her car with items and drove them to London to donate to families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire last weekend.

Ely Standard: Good samaritan Katrina takes haul of donations to families effected by Grenfell Tower fire.Good samaritan Katrina takes haul of donations to families effected by Grenfell Tower fire. (Image: Archant)

Katrina Cattani-Price travelled to visit her parents last Friday (16) but decided to go the extra mile by transporting donations of toiletries and bedding kindly given by people across the city.

She filled four bin bags, and more were taken by van to the capital the following day.

“I just thought that I can’t go there with any empty car,” she said.

“It’s been quite overwhelming really – it took me quite a while to sort through it all.

Ely Standard: Smoke billows from a fire that has engulfed the 27-storey Grenfell Tower in west London (Picture: Rick Findler/PA Wire)Smoke billows from a fire that has engulfed the 27-storey Grenfell Tower in west London (Picture: Rick Findler/PA Wire) (Image: Archant)

“We had a lot of baby stuff – food, blankets, nappies et cetera – and things like deodorant and hygiene products.

“So many people have had those little creature comforts taken away from them.”

Katrina, who works in admin, will be making another trip to London this weekend.

“If you are going to London then please don’t go with an empty car – fill it with as much as possible,” she said.

“The response from the public so far has been amazing and it’s made me feel quite emotional if I am honest.

“Everyone has their own thoughts and opinions – especially in light of the recent terror attacks – but at the end of the day we are all human and need our creature comforts.”

The fire was reported at the 24-storey block in north Kensington, just before 1am on Wednesday.

It is believed to have started on the fourth floor and required 40 fire engines and 250 firefighters to tackle it.

The fire affected all floors of the building – which received a £8.6 million upgrade last year – from the second floor up.

It has since been revealed that residents had raised their concerns over fire safety at the building as recently as November.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, which manages the council’s housing, the local council and construction firm Rydon have all been criticised amidst claims those concerns were ignored.