A PAIR of Harwich residents got a surprise when they turned on the television in their New York hotel room and saw their hometown on the screen.

Mother and daughter Alison and Lynsey Calver of Ashley Road awoke on their first morning in the Big Apple to see a film that crews from USA news giants CBS and Al Jazeera America had been making in the town.

The piece was a Thanksgiving special marking Harwich’s links with the Mayflower ship which sailed pilgrims over to the New World in 1620.

Lynsey was shocked that the town had seemingly followed her on holiday.

“It was a remarkable way to start our trip to New York,” she said.

“We were looking at the Empire State Building out of our bedroom window and watching Harwich on the television.

“It is a Thanksgiving day we will never forget.”