Plymouth's Mayflower 400 commemorations confirmed for summer following Covid disruption

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Plymouth's Mayflower Commemorations will take place this July after events to mark the 400th anniversary were postponed last year because of the pandemic. 

The city had hoped to attract thousands of visitors and millions of pounds to the region last September before lockdowns were imposed.

However, On July 11, a production telling the story of the Pilgrims journey to Plymouth in Massachusetts in 1620 is set to take place.

The show is designed to bring the four nations involved in the Mayflower story together. This includes the UK, USA, Netherlands and the Native American Wampanoag tribes, who have often been ignored when revisiting some of the more difficult aspects of the story.

Adrian Vinken, Chair of the Mayflower 400, added: "The fact that there is a Mayflower story to tell and there is that massive story to tell in terms of the democratic development of the United States is actually down to the generosity that was shown them by the Wampanoag.



"And the subsequent colonisation did them a great disservice.

"In the past, it hadn't been acknowledged which is why the Wampanoag have to be front and central.

The Wampanoag tribe will feature prominently in this year's Mayflower events. Credit: ITV News

The Box museum and art gallery, Plymouth's newest museum and art gallery, is also taking part in the commemorations. It will feature an extended exhibition charting all 2,800 miles of the Mayflower's journey.

"When people thought of Mayflower in the past, the first word that would come to mind would be Pilgrims," says Louisa Blight who is the museum's collections manager.

"That story has expanded exponentially. People understand the impact that the journey had from both sides of the Atlantic.

"I've been working with the Wampanoag advisory committee in the US to develop the Mayflower 400 exhibition so people can understand the stories of the Wampanoag community themselves."


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