Laura Potter

When Grenfell Tower caught fire in the early hours of June 14 2017, most of us were sleeping safely in our homes – a simple everyday thing we take for granted. But its hundreds of residents weren’t safe, and 72 of them lost their lives as the blaze engulfed the whole tower block. As news reports became names and names became family stories, the tragedy became more visceral, a knot in our collective stomach. But we are still the lucky ones.The five people you meet in this article were all personally impacted by the fire. All have endured five years of grief and injustice, but all are forging ahead. What took place that summer night is a huge part of what drives them. They want to honour the people they lost, make them proud and support those who are still here. We all want – need – to find hope in the hardest times, how else can we keep going? These men and women represent that hope. Photograph: Juan Trujillo Andrades     ‘The goal is to be world champion’  Heavyweight boxer David Adeleye used to train at a gym in Grenfell Tower. In 2019, he turned pro and, eight fights in, he remains undefeated.  I started boxing with Dale Youth, in the Grenfell Tower. The first time I walked into the gym, my coach, Gary, told me to come back for adult training: at 14 I was already 6' 1" and I was there with all these little kids. I never missed a session after that. I stayed with Gary through my whole amateur career. He’s the grandmaster – he taught me a lot. I wasn’t in a rush to turn pro