Retired London firefighter's huge charity challenge on Grenfell anniversary
Stephen Aslin sets off cycling to Ground Zero in New York on Saturday (14th June).
Last updated 14th Jun 2025
As Saturday (14th June) marks the 8th anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, a retired firefighter from London is embarking on a 30,000 mile cycle ride to raise money for charity.
72 people lost their lives in the devastating fire in West London in 2017, 18 of which were children.
Among the events to remember the tragedy, Stephen Aslin from North Kensington is setting off on a 30,000 mile from his home to Ground Zero in New York, US.
He's aiming to raise £30,000 pounds for the Grenfell Foundation- particularly for youth projects and schools in the local area- £1000 for each mile the treacherous journey will take.
As part of his epic ride, he's also planning to visit as many fire stations in the US as he can.
58-year-old Stephen tells us the impact of the Grenfell Tower fire "still hits hard".
"I decided in October I wanted to do something positive, to just give back to my community.
"I want to do a little bit for the future of the area, really.
"A schoolfriend of ours died in the fire.
"The challenge is in memory of Ernie Vital, his mum Marjorie Vital, and the other 70 people who lost their lives."
He first has to cycle across Europe, to Turkey, Kazakstan and then into India.
He'll travel from there through the Far East, on to Australia, and then the USA, aiming to cycle 100km each day, five days a week.
Stephen added: "Cycling across America will be really enjoyable and I'm hoping to be in New York for the 25th anniversary of 9/11, around 15 months after I first set off.
"It'll be 'Tower to Tower' from Grenfell all the way to where the Twin Towers used to stand."
You can find a link to his fundraiser here.