A council chairman is travelling more than 3,000 miles to a meeting in Rutland – although this civic gathering will be in the namesake town in Vermont, USA.

Independent member of Rutland County Council Andrew Brown got in touch with the mayor of the City of Rutland in New England last summer and after several online meetings, will be boarding a plane on Thursday (May 1) armed with the Rutland flag, a book of the county's history and some of the Grainstore Brewery's Rutland Panther beer.

Although referred to as a 'city' in America, Rutland in Vermont has a population of 15,000 – similar to Oakham and Uppingham combined.

The councillor, who is funding the trip from his own pocket, says he had been told of the city's existence and was inspired to make a connection.

He said: "I just sent an email on the off chance and then I received an email back from the Mayor, Mike Doenges. We set up various meetings and have got to know each other a bit, and then it stemmed from there.

"I thought it might be nice, because Rutland County Council is not going to exist in its current form in two or three years, it might be nice to do it before its demise."

This is thought to be the first connection between the two places. Much chillier than the East Midlands, the US state of Vermont is on the Canadian border, on a similar latitude to Toronto, and is known for skiing, the Green Mountain

It is thought the US namesake was named after John Manners, the third Duke of Rutland.

advertisement

Cllr Brown will be showcasing the UK county during his visit, as well as sharing a collection of photos of himself with various members of the Royal family, including last year's visit by the Duke of Edinburgh. He will go without his chairman's chains as he is forbidden from taking them for insurance reasons.

"They love history in America," said Cllr Brown, "So I am going to do a presentation about who I am and a bit about Rutland and my time as the county's High Sheriff. That is a role about three times older than their modern country and Americans love that sort of thing, so I am going to talk about that."

As part of his stay he has been invited to the annual Loyalty Day parade, which honours past and present members of the military.

Reflecting on the current political situation in America, he said: "Mayor Doenges is independent, like I am. They are very liberal there, and they hate Trump. It's where Bernie Sanders is from, he is the senator.

"That awful JD Vance person went to Vermont skiing and he had to go somewhere else because they started shouting and throwing things at him."

Cllr Brown says an ongoing connection between the two places could develop from his visit.

He said: "It will be a good cultural exchange. There is always something to be learned from meeting different people. It remains to be seen if a relationship forms [between the two places], whether that is on an official or unofficial basis.

"I will ask Mayor Doenges if he wants to visit. But whether he comes or not is another matter. He ought to come before Rutland disappears, hadn't he?"

advertisement

Part of an extended family trip, the Browns will land in Boston before taking a 12-seater aeroplane flight to Vermont. After the packed itinerary the family will go onto Niagara Falls and also spend some time in Florida.