St George's delegation in Virginia

A delegation from St George's has travelled to Virginia as part of an initiative to explore ways of improving heritage management and cultural tourism in the Olde Towne.

The group travelled to the towns of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown that have strong historic links to Bermuda dating back the 1600s.

They met with a host of local experts and dignitaries in a bid to foster new partnerships and cement longstanding links.  

The group included MP Kenneth Bascome, Mayor Garth Rothwell,  Deputy Mayor Quinell Francis, Common Councillor Elizabeth Christopher and St George's Foundation Director Dr. Charlotte Andrews.

The trip was the brainchild of Mr Bascome and involved trips to the historic Jamestown, which was the site of the first permanent English settlement in America, as well as the James Fort.

A statement on the St George's Foundation Facebook site stated: "We've brought home creative and practical ideas for the Cultural Tourism Plan of the World Heritage Site and Towne. 

Borrowing from these successful overseas attractions is appropriate given the intertwined histories of Bermuda and Virginia and the resulting similarities of our sites, artifacts and other cultural resources.

"The trip also clarified where we might depart from these models and forge our own path, especially given Bermuda's smaller scale and that St. George's is both 'the real thing' and a living town."