The September 11 UK Families Support Group (S11UKFSG) is constituted as an Unincorporated Association. The governing document is in the form of a Trust Deed and the initial Trustees were Tony Greene, inaugural Chairman (who lost his son-in-law), Jim Cudmore, Treasurer (who lost his son), Les Gilligan, Assistant Secretary (who lost his brother) and Jelena Watkins (who lost her brother). There is a Committee, which includes all of the above together with Alex Clarke, who is now Chairman (who lost her daughter), Tom Clarke, (who lost his sister), Hannah Ali, Secretary (who lost her sister) and Helen Cudmore, Assistant Secretary (who lost her step-son). Tom Clarke is the official spokesperson for the Group. Committee members are unremunerated. At the last review, the S11UKFSG had 285 members (including 38 children of victims) representing 66 UK victims.

The Committee meets monthly and there are Family Meetings (FMs) every three months. Some 30%+ of members live more than 100 miles from London, some in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the remainder live in London and the Home Counties, hence the concentration of FMs in London. To ease the burden of travelling for those members who live a considerable distance north and west of London, meetings in Birmingham or Manchester have been considered and in fact a very successful meeting was held in Birmingham on 17 May 2003. S11UKFSG is seeking to establish Local Groups for family members to meet more frequently and in less formal surroundings and a London Group is already well established.

The Committee circulates a regular newsletter to bring members up-to-date with S11UKFSG news and other matters such as memorials, financial assistance, etc.

A major source of funds for the S11UKFSG was a substantial donation from the British Red Cross and very valuable contributions were also received from the World Trade Centre Disaster Fund, Cantor Fitzgerald, the Lord Mayor’s Fund and the Welsh Congregational Church of New York together with smaller donations from private sources. Risk Waters very generously paid the venue costs for the inaugural meeting held on 11 May 2002. The group’s main outgoings to date have been reimbursement of members’ travelling and accommodation expenses in attending meetings and the associated costs of organising those meetings, printing and distribution costs paid to a voluntary service organisation located in Eastbourne, Professional Indemnity Insurance and one off costs associated with counselling and the distribution to families of a limited edition print “View over Brooklyn Bridge” gifted to the families by the artist, Pip Todd Warmouth.

The S11UKFSG has worked and continues to work closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in relation to remembrance services and memorials. The Service of Remembrance and Commemoration held in St Paul’s Cathedral on September 11, 2002, the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the USA, was a very moving and poignant occasion and on September 11, 2003 there will be the opening ceremony and dedication of the Memorial Gardens in Grosvenor Square, London.

The twelve-month period following the attacks in the USA was for most families a time of trying to come to terms with the horror of the attacks and the resultant trauma of losing a loved one in such a dreadful and public manner. The constant media attention both in newspapers and on television meant that members lived with seeing the awful scenes of the attacks over and over again and media activity became even more frantic in the lead up to the first anniversary. The result was a surge in requests from members for counselling assistance.

The S11UKFSG has been very active since its inauguration in trying to bring families together to help them deal with the trauma of the attacks and to enable them to share their common grief. The next step is to help families deal with the reality of their loss. Counselling for family members has already been established and up until now, has been funded by the Red Cross. It is believed that there will be continued need for counselling over months or years to come.

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