AT a meeting at St Andrew's House Hotel in December, the speaker was chief fire officer of Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade David O'Dwyer.

Using superb visual aids, he told us about him and his wife going to Ground Zero, New York, on September 21 after the horrific terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.

His first visit was to Engine Company 16. This unit lost six of its members at the World Trade Centre. A total of 344 firemen lost their lives.

There were 2,000 members of the Rescue Task Force. David had a range of experiences including attending a service at Yankee Stadium with 30,000 other people.

David expressed his thanks to the members of the NYFD who welcomed him and gave so freely of their time and hospitality.

Two new members have recently joined the club - Ted Howard and Pam Davey.