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#YouTubers4Grenfell raise thousands for Grenfell Tower victims

By Conor Riley

: Niki Albon, Em Ford and Sammy Albon at #YouTubers4Grenfell

Em Ford organised a charity live stream on 21 June to raise funds to help those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.

Presented by Em, and Niki and Sammy Albon, the stream included live performances from Bethan Leadley and Talia Mar, as well as challenges involving Rose and Rosie, Luke Cutforth, Mark Ferris, and Leon Bustin.

The stream ended with a total of £3267.66 raised during the broadcast, but donations can still be made via the JustGiving page.

From one community to another #YouTubers4Grenfell 💕 https://t.co/9mpPNp2KcG pic.twitter.com/CgdcFB6SCB

— TenEighty UK (@TenEightyUK) June 21, 2017

“I think we set a realistic goal in terms of fundraising for the live stream”, Niki and Sammy told TenEighty. “We made sure that this was a very community-based event, so we had people from all verticals. We had beauty, we had sports, we contacted everyone.

“There was such a diverse group of people affected [by Grenfell], we felt the need to represent all YouTubers. Everyone in that room was equal, there was no ‘I have a million subscribers so I’m going to get the airtime’. It was just everyone coming together to do what they could,” the twins explained.

“I think that’s kind of what our platform is built for, as well as entertaining. The key point was to raise money for the community that so vitally needs it.”

We're at @YouTubeSpaceLon for #YouTubers4Grenfell and we've never seen so many YouTubers in one room. Tune in: https://t.co/SogZ5Z5oi7 pic.twitter.com/gJtato7j9q

— TenEighty UK (@TenEightyUK) June 21, 2017

Talia Mar performed an original song, Human. “As much as this can’t necessarily help those people in the grand scheme of things, I think music is an easy way to reach a large number of people,” Talia said. “Music for me is an easier way of getting emotions across.”

Speaking about the message behind the song, Talia explained: “On the news you don’t see anyone sitting there crying, just talking about how awful it was; they talk about how they’ll try and change it and want to fight to make it better. That’s the message I want people to take away: the thing that could have broken you is the thing that should be making us stand up the most.”

Talia Mar (Photo Credit: AJ Brinnand)

Amrit Singh created art during the live stream. He told TenEighty: “Rising from the Ashes is the title of the canvas I was working on during the live stream. It features a phoenix rising from the ashes using ink pens and spray paints. The artwork is a perfect representation for the Grenfell Tower incident as it tells the story and shares sentiment that I’ve got from the community members and on the ground.

“It reminds everyone that with the community supporting and uplifting you, you are not on your own. This relates perfectly to YouTube.”

This was so awesome! Huge shoutout to everyone involve, I loved being part of it! – Donate: https://t.co/yPTypxBh1C #YouTubers4Grenfell 🙏 pic.twitter.com/JSHf6vlwOM

— Amrit Singh (@MrASingh) June 21, 2017

Donations can be made here, and the live stream is available to watch below. Our exclusive pictures from the event can be found in the gallery at the top of this article.