Members of public offer hundreds of free holidays via Facebook campaign with firefighters the first recipients

Firefighters who tackled the Grenfell Tower blaze will be the first recipients of hundreds of free holidays donated by members of the public.

More than 370 offers of holiday stays have been put forward by members of the Grenfell Tower Holiday Appeal group on Facebook in the three weeks since the tragedy, co-organiser Angie Mays said. The short-stay offers have come mainly from small businesses, B&Bs and guesthouses all over the UK, but also in Spain and Cyprus, she said.

The life of Britain’s firefighters: ‘My helmet melted around my head’ Read more

Mays, from Ilfracombe, Devon, set up the campaign with friend Kay Gilbert and said they had even received messages from Australia telling them “how great an idea it was”.

A male firefighter, his partner and their two children will head to a cottage in Marsden, West Yorkshire, for a week in July. Other firefighter families have been in touch and are considering taking up some of the offers, she said.

Mays said: “I’m so happy that firefighters are using the appeal, I only hope in time that they are able to come to terms with what they have experienced that night and after. They are true heroes in my eyes – putting their lives at risk and going above and beyond to save lives. I only hope our appeal offers them some comfort and respite from their experiences, giving them time to switch off their minds and relax.”

Mays said in the long-term she hoped survivors would feel ready to take up the holiday offers, but that it was probably “too soon to be talking about things like that now – it’s too raw”.

But, she said, if any survivors did feel ready now, they should get in touch. Separate Facebook groups have been also set up to provide holidays in Cornwall and the Highlands.