Music mogul Simon Cowell has announced his plans to raise money for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire with a charity single
Simon Cowell has pledged to do his bit for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, which has so far claimed the lives of 30 people, with many more expected.
The music guru, who lives close to Grenfell Tower, spoke to Good Morning Britain presenters Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway today and promised to help those whose lives have been turned upside down.
He appeared on the show via a phone call, in which he said it would be "appalling" if he did not do something to help.
Drawing attention to the fact that it's very close to home, he added: "I was watching the news and then I drove up to see the building which is only round the corner from me.
"I've seen a lot of bad things, and there, you know, not far away from where I was sitting, I just... it really dawned on you, honestly, it sent chills through me."
Simon, 57, was struck by the sight of the multi-storey block, saying: "Seeing the building made a big impact. I think the thing that really hit home to me was when I was seeing that wall and I saw those messages."
The dad-of-one then revealed that he had actually been inspired to do something after seeing all the local residents who rushed down to help: "When I saw how the residents immediately turned up with water and clothes and offers of shelter and everything else, that's when I thought, I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing.
"For me in my position, not to do something would be appalling."
Simon was spurred into action and got in touch with his contacts in the music industry: "So I wrote to all the record label heads and I basically said, 'Let's all work together, there's a bigger cause here'."
The inspirational label owner then explained what he hoped might come from the charity single: "I'm hoping that it pricks a few people's consciousness and then other people decide to do something else, because I think we can do more in addition to just the record. That's my plan."
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He revealed that the wheels are already in motion, with recording to start over the weekend: "We will record it hopefully and finish it Sunday, latest Monday. We've already started to get a lot of people calling in saying, 'Of course we would love to do it'."
Thanks to technology, Simon revealed, there are people overseas who can also pitch in: "People who can't make it physically to the studio, we can record their vocals wherever they are in the world if they want to be involved."
Although he kept coy about what song would be recorded, he did say: "The song is important because it obviously has to be sincere. It has to have the right message, and most importantly, for me, it has to mean something to the people affected by what happened.
"I do genuinely believe this will make a difference."
Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by the fire.
If you are concerned for a loved one, please call the Met Police casualty bureau on 0800 0961 233.
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