Staff at Gosberton firm help to aid evacuees

 

 

The team at Infotel, based in Gosberton, was called upon late Friday when tower blocks in Camden were deemed unsafe.
When director Tanya Beresford called in help at 6.30pm, it arrived in 20 minutes.

 

But aside from those asked to work, other members of staff also called in to see if they could help.

 

“One of our clients works with Camden council and they were called in to relocate residents on Friday evening.

 

“They recommended we work alongside them and we called in the emergency team who arrived in 20 minutes.

 

“We had to source hotel rooms for residents in London which is not easy at 6.30pm on a Friday. The news wasn’t public then, so no-one had heard about the evacuation,” she said.

 

The team hit the phones and found 900 hotel rooms in north and central London for residents of the Camden flats which were deemed unsafe by fire inspectors.

 

“We liaised with the council to ensure we found the right types of room. Some of the residents are elderly, others have pets – but it was a unique opportunity, not a problem. We were happy to help,” said Tanya. “I think the last person left the office at around 2.30am – I dipped-out at 1am because I organise an annual summer ball.”

 

Camden council leader Georgia Gould ordered 600 flats with around 1,000 residents of the London borough evacuated on Friday evening in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

 

Issues with cladding, insulation, fire doors and gas pipes were cited as being behind the sudden evacuation.

 

There was an immediate need for emergency accommodation to be found in the area and staff at Infotel stepped up to the mark.

 

“We had people coming in to see if they could help, which was lovely. We have fantastic staff and everyone was empathising with those affected.

 

“It was very upsetting for residents and we wanted to make sure they had suitable accommodation as quickly as possible,” said Tanya, who added it was the first time her company had been involved in such an operation.

 

“We are continuing to work with the council to meet its needs and extend the amount of time the rooms are needed, if necessary.”

 

Camden council said it would take up to four weeks to carry out repairs to the flats before residents could return.

 

Emergency checks were made on a number of buildings in the days following the Grenfell Tower blaze in north Kensington,  which is believed to have claimed 79 lives.

 

By Tuesday, more than 70  blocks in various local authority areas  around the country had been deemed unsafe.

 

Infotel started life as a hotel information service in 1989 and was taken over in January when Tanya, Kimberley Graham and Susie Christie joined forces for a buy out of major shareholders.