A letter from the UK Daily Express, September 18. Reproduced here without permission.

We would like to put on record our sincere thanks to the people of Gander, Newfoundland, and we are sure that we will joined by the crew and passengers of Virgin Atlantic No 021 which was bound for Washington DC at the time of the horrific tragedy on Tuesday, September 11. The flight was diverted to Gander along with 36 other aircraft from numerous countries.

The population of 10,000 in Gander was doubled overnight so they opened schools, halls and churches to provide shelter for us all.

Our heartfelt thanks go to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, who provided comfort and assistance at the airport terminal, and to the numerous people that provided buses and other emergency services throughout the night.

The volume of food donated by the local businesses and townspeople was unbelievable and, above all, they gave up their time for three days to ensure that we were able to contact our families and to make us as comfortable as possible.

We all say a big thankyou to the people of Gander for restoring our faith in human nature during a time when many lives were lost to terrorism.

We made many friends during our stay. The memory of their kindness will live with us forever.

Dennis & Sheila Poole

New Barn, Kent, UK