FIREFIGHTERS at Greenock fire station held their annual two-minute silence and memorial for the victims of the Twin Towers attack yesterday.

The sombre moment was made all the more touching by the arrival of 10-year-old Cheyenne Taylor from Greenock.

She laid a bunch of flowers next to the firefighters" wreath at the cairn outside the fire station at 2pm, approximately the time the planes struck the first tower six years ago.

On the sixth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York, firefighter Dave Adam, group manager of operations for Inverclyde, said: 'We spent some time thinking about all the firefighters who have given their lives in the line of duty, 243 firefighters died at the Twin Towers that day, but many more have given their lives.' Cheyenne, of Rankin Street, said: 'I come down every year and put flowers down. I remember when it happened, I saw it on the telly, I was four.

'I come and bring the flowers to remember everybody that died in the towers.' Cheyenne and her mum, Coleen, took part in the silence before laying their wreaths.

Dave Adam said: 'It is lovely to see local people coming and laying flowers.

'There is a close connection to the New York fire department here as we have had some of the widows and orphans over for therapeutic holidays in Scotland.

'The cairn here is very special.

'Not only is it a poignant reminder of those who died, but it is made from the old cobbles of Inverclyde"s streets and all the other materials for it were donated by local companies.

'Then, the firefighters actually built the cairn themselves.

'It is an important day to us.'