A VIGIL will take place at the war memorial on Thursday to mark six months since the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Organised by the Swindon People’s Assembly, the candlelit vigil will see people of all backgrounds come together to remember those who perished in the tower on June 14.

The blaze, which ripped through the 24-storey tower in North Kensington, took the lives of 71 people, including one unborn child.

Tony Hillier, one of the People’s Assembly members organising Thursday’s vigil, said the aim was “to show solidarity with the people living with the effects of the Grenfell fire” and “to support them in their campaign for justice”.

He said: “We are offering Swindonians the chance to come along and remember those who died at Grenfell and those who were directly affected by it.

“We will also be asking the government, national and local, to ensure that the after effects of the disaster are dealt with in an humane way.”

Organisers are hoping to have the names of all 71 people who died in the disaster inscribed on candle jars.

The vigil will feature music and poetry and will be bathed in candlelight.

Tony added: “We realise that though this awful event happened a hundred miles away in London, it could just as easily have been in any other town or city across the country, including our own.”

Serious fire safety concerns had been raised by residents at Grenfell prior to the disaster, though no steps had been taken to address them.

The fire was made worse by the presence of highly flammable cladding on the side of the building.

In total, 250 firefighters from 70 fire engines attempted to control the blaze, which raged for 60 hours.

At the end of June, a public enquiry was launched to ascertain what happened and to stop it from ever happening again. An interim report is due in Easter 2018.

The event will take place at the town's war memorial at Regent Circus at 5.30pm on Thursday and everyone is welcome to attend.