Grenfell: one year on

It has been a whirlwind year for Plymouth contact centre’s Steve Buckley.

After the Grenfell Tower fire – a year ago today – the advanced customer advisor found himself nominated for a 2017 Chairman’s Awards as part of Royal Mail’s large and diverse Grenfell support group.

The group was set up to address logistical concerns arising from the fire, and comprised of teams and individuals from across customer experience working closely with their colleagues in operations.

At least 72 people lost their lives in the tragedy, which saw Royal Mail teams working together to find solutions for storing and redirecting mail and resuming deliveries for close neighbours of the tower.

‘After it happened, our senior managers wondered what was going to happen to the mail for all the properties where no-one could get access,’ explained Steve.

‘This group of managers quickly got their heads together and a free redirections helpline was set up, manned down here in Plymouth by my team.

‘It was also decided by our managers to run an outreach desk at the Westway Sports Centre where the Red Cross were based, and the managers asked for volunteers within our team.

‘It was a really good example of great teamwork. We are still getting mail coming through addressed to the tower and holding it at the West London delivery office.’

Being part of the Grenfell operation is an experience Steve says has changed him, as has being nominated for a Chairman’s Award as part of the Grenfell team.

‘It does affect you, even talking about it now I get a lump in my throat but in a good way – you get a new perspective on, and a new appreciation of, different communities and ethnicities,’ he said.

‘The experience was awful and you never want to see it again. But it has made me see things in a different way and the nomination gave me a bit of a boost.’

Steve says pride in his role within Royal Mail has intensified and made him more career-focused. Although as a contact centre advisor Steve is used to working with customers, his work at Grenfell took things to a different level.

‘There was very, very close contact with the families affected and we almost built up a relationship with these people,’ he said of the victims of the tragedy.

‘They were literally offloading their problems with us in the early days and it was very, very emotional.

‘I remember we had a family of four and the little girl was messing about, jumping around on her dad, up and down on his back. He turned to us and said: “this is how I got her out of the tower.”’ 

Steve was filmed for a special film about Grenfell, shown at the Chairman’s Awards ceremony and the Labour Party conference last year. He’s also one of the faces of the ‘We Are Royal Mail’ campaign.

With his experience of the past year, does Steve have any suggestions for people who might find themselves nominated and attending the ceremony in 2018?

‘Just enjoy it and relax and don’t worry – it will be great and you will have a good time.’

• Nominate a colleague for the 2018 Chairman’s Awards for Excellence here or by filling out the paper application form with the latest Courier.
• The deadline for applications is Friday 13 July
• The ceremony will take place in London on October 18 2018.