LOCATION Washington Nationals Ballpark - Washington, DC

SPEAKER Deputy Head of Mission, Dominick Chilcott

EVENT Artomatic VIP Opening

DATE May 29, 2009

Deputy Head of Mission, Dominick Chilcott, opened Artomatic - a five week long festival of art, music, performance, film and fashion in Washington, DC. Mr Chilcott's speech reflected on the historical and contemporary relationship between Washington, DC and Sunderland, England.

   Read his speech

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

I must thank the organisers of the Artomatic 2009 for allowing me to say a few words from the perspective of the small island on the other side of the Atlantic called Britain.

This has been a big week for Washington DC's British sister city Sunderland. Last Sunday was the final round of the English Premier league, our world-renowned soccer competition. Sunderland Athletic football club faced the real threat of being relegated. The good news for the Wearsiders, as Sunderland's supporters are called, is not only did their club manage to avoid relegation and will continue to be in the top flight of English soccer next season, but their great rivals, Newcastle, ended up dropping down to the lower league.

There has been great rejoicing in the City of Sunderland all week at this double whammy. So if any of the distinguished visitors and artists from Sunderland, here at the Artomatic exhibition, appear a bit tired, it may not be just a result of jetlag.

Being here in Washington DC, one of the most beautiful cities in North America at one of the most beautiful times of year, the late spring, shows that good things really can follow one another in quick succession. Premier League survival on Sunday, Artomatic 2009 today.

I don't know whether George Washington had any time for ball sports. The outstanding museum dedicated to his life at his country seat at Mount Vernon does not have anything to say about soccer. But we do, of course, know about the well-documented connection between the first US President and Sunderland. George Washington's great-grandfather John Washington emigrated to the colony of Virginia in the mid 17th century from Britain. His family was originally from the town of Washington from which they took their surname. The town of Washington is now part of the City of Sunderland. Hence the historic connection that has led to the contemporary city sister relationship.

There is a plaque in Durham cathedral, a few miles from Sunderland, which recalls "John Washington of Washington of this county, prior of this cathedral church 1416 - 1446, whose family has won an everlasting name in lands to him unknown."

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