News Release

11th September 2002

MICHAEL FABRICANT COMMEMORATES SEPTEMBER 11th

At 1.46pm today (marking the very moment when the first hijacked aircraft hit one of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City at 8.46am Eastern Standard Time) two Giant Redwood trees from the United States will be planted at The National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas near Lichfield. These trees will grow to represent the Twin Towers and will be a permanent memorial dominating the approach to the Arboretum in years to come. Immediately after the planting ceremony, a service will be held in the Millennium Chapel and Michael Fabricant will read Psalm 42.

At 5.30pm today, Michael will attend Evensong at Lichfield Cathedral. Evensong today is dedicated to those 3047 people who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks.

Later that same evening, Michael will be addressing members of the Lichfield Round Table at their fortnightly dinner. He will talk about the need to be resolute in the war against terror. "If we had been resolute in the mid 30s against the rise of Hitler" says Michael Fabricant "we would have avoided the deaths of countless millions in the Second World War. We must learn by those past mistakes".