Update: Tony Hadley sings the National Anthem in the British Garden, NYC. Photographs by Luke LoCurcio and John Meese
Update: Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper, Canadian first lady Laureen Harper, British consul-general Danny Lopez and Australian consul-general Phil Scanlan stand for each country’s national anthem
❚ IN NEW YORK TODAY AT 13h30, the British vocalist Tony Hadley sings the National Anthem, God Save the Queen, at the memorial concert marking the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America. In the presence of Danny Lopez, HM consul-general in New York, the event is being held in The British Garden, Hanover Square in Lower Manhattan, NYC, which was created with the endorsement of the British consulate-general to honour the 67 British subjects lost in the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. They were carried out by 19 hijackers seizing four planes, taking nearly 3,000 lives. President Barack Obama said that the tenth anniversary would be a day of “service and remembrance”. White House guidelines emphasise the theme of resilience, and warn of future attacks.
Providing the music along with Tony Hadley are InChorus, The Lothan & Borders Police Choir and Tayside Police Choir, The West Yorkshire Police Brass Band and the Allied Forces Foundation Pipes and Drums.
This year an invitation from Her Majesty the Queen to include Australians in the memorial has been gladly accepted by Australian prime minister, the Hon Julia Gillard. In New York Australian consul-general Phil Scanlan joins Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper among distinguished guests at the memorial concert, and the official memorial site includes a dedication to the Australian and Canadian victims of the 9/11 attacks, as well as British and American. The motto of the garden reads “Reflect, Remember, Rebuild”. As explained by Danny Lopez, this signifies that New York City is moving on but not forgetting. Following the ceremony, a gala fundraising dinner is being held on September 12, and funds raised will go toward the ongoing conservancy of the Garden.
Tony Hadley writing at Facebook today at 11:11
“ Here in New York City for today’s 9/11 Memorial Concert at the British Garden in Hanover Square. I feel very proud to be asked to come over to sing our National Anthem. Thanks to all the British Police I met in Brooklyn last night at the first ever block party that I have been to. It was fantastic. Cheers lads and lasses.”
The British Garden is a modern classic, here photographed in 2010 by Alliance for Downtown New York: sinuous lines are formed by benches and voluptuous topiaries at Hanover Square, in Lower Manhattan. The space was designed by landscape architects Isabel and Julian Bannerman, best known for their work for the Prince of Wales at his Highgrove home. It features City of London-style bollards, paving quarried in Scotland and Wales and benches produced in England and finished in Northern Ireland. All that remains to complete the scheme is the planned stone sculpture by Anish Kapoor.
First day of their American visit 2005: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Royal Patron of the British Memorial Garden Trust, and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall visit the British Memorial Garden in Manhattan
Prince Harry plants a magnolia bush as part of New York City’s Million Trees NYC initiative in the British Garden in New York, 2009. Photograph by Richard Drew/AP
Official opening on July 6, 2010: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II meets local luminaries after cutting a red ribbon to open the British Garden. Photographed by Spencer T Tucker
➢ Gardens of peace — a Daily Telegraph appreciation of the British Garden in New York
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