Mayflower 400 sets sail for 2020
A truly international gathering of partners from the United States of America, the Native American nation, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom was hosted today by the American Ambassador to the UK, Matthew Barzun at Winfield House, his private residence in London, in partnership with Adrian Vinken OBE, Chairman of Mayflower 400 UK and Ronald Freeman, Chairman of The Pilgrims.
The reception was attended by over 400 association representatives, businesses leaders, community members, travel industry professionals and senior government officials.
This prestigious gathering highlighted the growing support for the Mayflower 400 campaign across different countries, industries and sectors to celebrate this milestone anniversary in 2020 to mark 400 years since the Mayflower set sail on its famous voyage to the New World.
During the evening the guests enjoyed a bespoke Plymouth Gin cocktail as well as a sample menu showcasing the very best of English and American cuisine on both sides of the Atlantic.
Adrian Vinken OBE, Chairman of Mayflower 400 UK, said, ‘We are most grateful to the American Ambassador, Matthew Barzun, and his wife Brooke for their support of Mayflower 400 and for their generous hospitality in their beautiful home. It was great to be able to bring together so many distinguished guests to demonstrate the increasingly wide spread of support for this important anniversary and its many exciting programmes of celebration and commemoration. The Mayflower’s journey provided the golden thread which directly links Magna Carta’s principles of individual liberty of freedom under the law to the US Constitution. It is at the very heart of the ‘Special Relationship’ between our two nations.’
The event was also the first official engagement for The Earl, Charles Courtenay and his wife Allison Joy Langer-Courtenay, Countess of Devon who were recently appointed as the Patrons for Mayflower 400.
Speaking at the event the Earl outlined the vision and plans for the commemoration and spoke warmly of their particular affinity with the Mayflower story through their own family connections and upbringing in Devon and California.
Charlie commented, ‘It is an honour to be patrons for the Mayflower 400 Project and we look forward to involvement in many activities leading up to the 400th anniversary in 2020. Having witnessed the ambition of the Project, the breadth of communities involved, and the message of freedom and tolerance that the Mayflower story embodies, we are excited to contribute’.
AJ continued, ‘It has been a wonderful evening and we are excited to be ambassadors for this important anniversary, and to support the arts and education projects it inspires. We have a deep fondness for the Thanksgiving celebration; we believe it is important to commemorate the heroic journey of the Mayflower Pilgrims and to acknowledge the freedoms that they bravely sought, which so many still seek to this day’.
For more information on Mayflower 400 visit: www.mayflower400uk.com/
