CHAMBER INVOLVE: MAYFLOWER 400
Sponsor puts wind in Mayflower 400’s sails
As 2020 gets closer - and with the start of the Mayflower 400 commemoration year at the end of November - Plymouth-based international engineering company Babcock has been confirmed as a national sponsor for the overall programme and will be title sponsor for Mayflower Week in September 2020. This is great news for the
programme, with Babcock sponsoring the major commemoration events between 14–20 September next year, including the Mayflower Public Commemoration Ceremony to mark the 400-year anniversary of the sailing of this famous ship at its heart, on 16 September. Babcock have been great
supporters of events in the city before and have a natural synergy with many elements of the week that culminates with Mayflower Muster involving naval ships which, with the contract announcement in recent months by the company, is a great fit for their support. The news that Babcock join
another Plymouth based company, trans-Atlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson, as national sponsors is a huge step for the project. It re-enforces the support within the business community not only to be involved in delivering a strong programme that marks the city’s part in this historic moment, but to ensure Plymouth has the chance to take its story to a wider audience and showcase its talent. The public ceremony will involve
representatives of four nations that make up the story of the pilgrims, UK, USA, Netherlands and the Native American Wampanoag people in addition to a 1,000 voice choir and the band of the Royal Marines. Mayflower Week will
also include the Royal Marines Rehabilitation Triathlon in the programme alongside Mayflower Muster, a two-day festival celebrating our military heritage in partnership with the UK, US and Dutch Armed Forces, that concludes the week of activities. Talking about his company’s
‘Babcock
have been great supporters of events in the city’
Forces for more than 100 years, and the fact that we operate out of the largest and one of the oldest dockyards in Western Europe, means that Babcock is perfectly placed to be working closely with the Mayflower 400 team to commemorate this important landmark in maritime history. “It is hugely significant, not only
to the city of Plymouth, but more widely across the UK, as well as internationally, and we are delighted to show our support.” Womble Bond Dickinson continue
with the Mayflower Speaker Series with the year-end event coming up
in London, where global explorer Ranulph Fiennes will be talking about his expeditions and his forthcoming book. The Speaker Series has been a
big success this year. In October, an audience at Plymouth’s Royal Naval Base heard from Terry Waite, who shared memories and thoughts from his time in captivity in Lebanon. Eighty-year-old Terry had the invited audience captivated by both his description of how he became a captive and what his life was like during the five years he was held, which included a “mock execution” at the end of his first
year as a prisoner. Incredibly, Terry went back to meet his captors many years later and to this day advises on hostage negotiation, as well as working to help homeless people around the world get back into employment. Many of the Mayflower 400
events and exhibitions are gearing up for next year with one of the most notable, This Land, currently being the most complex. Directed by Alan Lane and produced by Theatre Royal Plymouth, there will be rehearsals on both sides of the Atlantic going on over the next few months with the cast and crew only coming together a short while prior to the actual performances next June. It will be performed by citizens of Plymouth UK and members of the Wampanoag tribe from Massachusetts USA at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, with text by Nick Stimson and songs written and performed by Seth Lakeman. This Land is the story of what happened then and what it means to us now and wrestles with the complex history surrounding the voyage of The Mayflower and the impact of its arrival on the shores of Massachusetts – definitely one to see.
Don’t forget to visit the Mayflower 400 website for the latest news and information:
mayflower400uk.org/Plymouth
involvement with the project Mike Homer, MD of Devonport Royal Dockyard, said: “As a trusted support partner to the Armed
Winter 2019 Chamber Profile 21
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