Big banks throw their weight behind the Millennium Exhibition

Michael Heseltine, Deputy Prime Minister and millennium commissioner, visiting the site of the Millennium National Exhibition in Greenwich, south-east London, said Abbey National, Barclays Bank, Lloyds Bank, Midland Bank and NatWest were joining the list of companies supporting the millennium festival.

The banks join Amec, British Airways, BAA, British Aerospace, British Telecom, BSkyB, BP, the Corporation of London, Ford, GEC, Hanson Energy, London Electricity, Marks & Spencer, Reuters, the Royal Mail and Siemens, which are already committed to supporting the exhibition.

Mr Heseltine also announced the appointment of Chris Peckham to carry forward the work of establishing the National Exhibition at Greenwich. Mr Peckham, a senior executive seconded from British Airways, will prepare the ground for the new operating company to be established to oversee the National Exhibition.

Photograph: Andrew Buurman