THE HARWICH Society's Guide Panel welcomed a group of 50 London schoolchildren to the historic town.

Year 5 pupils from Mayflower School in Poplar, East London visited Harwich at the end of last month.

Sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, the visit was intended to allow inner-city children to have the opportunity of an educational visit by the sea.

Andy Schooler, secretary of the Harwich Society’s Guide Panel, said: “We take our surroundings for granted but for many of these children it was the first time they had ever seen the sea. It was a very special visit.”

One key area of the visit was Christopher Jones and the story of the Mayflower.

The visitors went to Christopher Jones’ house and also toured the Mayflower exhibition in the Harwich Town museum.

They spent time with the Harwich Society volunteers in the Maritime museum and visited the Kindertransport memorial on Harwich Quay.

The group also visited the Treadwheel Crane on Harwich Green.

Colin Farnell, chairman of the Harwich Society, said: “The Society’s Guide Panel are very knowledgeable and tailor every tour to the needs of the visitors. 

“This was a very special visit and a lot of care was taken to make sure that the children from Poplar’s Mayflower School went home with more knowledge about the Mayflower story and a lot of happy memories.”