With less than three years to go until the Mayflower 400th anniversary celebrations, Dartmouth is pitching in with big players across the pond as part of the preparations.

Ahead of the anniversary in 2020, the M400 committee is working on a variety of projects which will involve the whole town which it hopes will leave a lasting legacy for future generations.

Dartmouth is one of 11 towns to take part in the National Mayflower partnership and throughout the 12 months from Thanksgiving November 2019 the town will be commemorating the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower.

Last week, M400 volunteers welcomed Anton Deflon, account executive with the luxury travel operator Kuoni to Dartmouth. Mr Deflon is a representative from Kuoni’s New York Office that are putting plans together for a holiday tour that will be marketed to the North American market.

Mr Deflon spent the day in Dartmouth meeting local dignitaries and learning about the town’s history and the significance of its river links.

From M400, Di Lyon said, “The visit was really a town effort.”

“Anton seemed genuinely interested in all the immense history that Dartmouth has to offer. He listened attentively and took a substantial number of photographs.”

The Town Crier, Les Ellis and his wife Liz along with the Town Mayor, Richard Cooke greeted Mr Deflon at Bayard’s Cove Inn, before they visited Bayard’s Cove and the Fort where Les explained why the river is so important in the nation’s maritime history.

The tour also took them to Dartmouth Castle, St. Petrox Church, the Britannia Royal Naval College and the Dartmouth Visitor Centre where they met manager Karen Perrow and chairman Hilary Bastone.

Additionally, Museum chairman, CMDR David Lingard gave an interesting mini-tour of the building, they went on a walk around the town followed by lunch at the Royal Castle Hotel.

Lastly, Greenway ferries sponsored a trip on the river to see the imposing BRNC and the mooring where the Pilgrims stayed while Les explained the history of the river with Mayflower.