A TWO-man delegation is travelling to meet city fathers in Woodbury, America, as part of Bury's ambitious plans to sail into the Millennium.

Bury Council chief executive Dennis Taylor and Millennium co-ordinator Adrian Frost will lay the foundations for a major visit in the summer of 2000.

Ties are already well established between the borough and the city of Woodbury in Gloucester County, USA.

And a £28,000 holding fee has been agreed by Bury Council for a replica 18th century sailing ship to make the journey to the USA and back.

Mr Taylor and Mr Frost set off next Wednesday, September 2, for a four-day fact finding trip to America.

Bury's dream, the brainchild of Shuttleworth builder Melvin Magnall, is to mark the arrival of the year 2000 by turning back the clock more than 300 years to recreate and recognise the remarkable story of one of America's founding fathers.

The the intention is to begin a Trans-Atlantic connection which will continue well into the new millennium.

It was in Woodbury in 1682, at the age of 80, that Henry Wood of Tottington began a new life after his release from Lancaster gaol.

He had been imprisoned as part of a lifetime of persecution for being a Quaker.

Wood and his son sailed to America to start a new life in the colonies and founded a settlement, near the banks of the Delaware River, which they named Woodbury. Over three centuries later Woodbury, in the state of New Jersey, forms parts of the outer suburbs of Philadelphia and has a population of just under 11,000.

The replica 18th century sailing boat, the Phoenix, will be used to carry a crew, made up predominantly of young people from both sides of the Atlantic and is central to all the celebration plans.

Having sailed across to Woodbury and acted as the centrepiece for a week-long event where they will be joined by around 400 visitors from Bury, it will sail back with the crew being changed for various legs along the way.

At the same time, the trip will be a focus for curriculum studies in primary and high schools, covering everything from history to geography, art and environmental studies.

Information technology will also be used to carefully chart the progress of the voyage. Sporting and community links are to be established between the two towns on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

Dennis Taylor said: "We are still very optimistic about obtaining Millennium funding, but we realise this is a massive project and we cannot wait until the last minute to start making arrangements.

"Melvin and others on the team have already been over to Woodbury. Now, we want to build on their visit and also expand the links that have been established."

He added: "Our agenda is to meet local and State government officials, arts and sports organisations and establish the initial links with US/UK partnerships.

"These can then be developed further on a club to club or society to society basis. We also want to start discussions with schools and educators, including establishing e-mail links."

Mr Taylor concluded: "The Millennium Festival grant will be central to our discussions and, of course, we want to stress the international flavour of our bid together with establishing other major sponsorship arrangements."

The full cost of the massive project is estimated at £900,000.

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