South Holland District Council unveils plaque at Donington church to celebrate UK Shared Prosperity fund donation to the Matthew Flinders project

A plaque has been unveiled to help honour the return of an explorer to his home village.

Matthew Flinders was the first man to circumnavigate Australia and will be making his final journey on Saturday when his remains will be interred close to his family within St Mary and the Holy Rood Church in Donington, during a ceremony which will be attended by people from across the globe.

Capt Flinders, who is celebrated figure in Australia, was discovered during excavation work as part of the HS2 project in 2019 and will be honoured during a three day event in his home village.

The Matthew Flinders Bring Him Home Project received £35,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to help fund the weekend’s events and a plaque has been unveiled to recognise this.

Coun Paul Redgate, Deputy Leader and portfolio holder for finance joined Jane Pearson of the Matthew Flinders: Bring Him Home group, volunteers, the Rev Mark Williams and council officers at St Mary and the Holy Rood church in Donington yesterday (Monday, July 8).

Speaking at the unveiling, Coun Redgate said: “South Holland District Council is really pleased to be able to support the Matthew Flinders Bring Him Home event through an award from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

“This project highlights what can be achieved when a great team works together to deliver something special for the people of Donington and South Holland. This event will not only showcase Donington but also the rest of the district – which is exactly what we set out to do with the UKSPF.

“Matthew Flinders represents an untapped historical figure for our local area and we hope this will bring tourism from Australia and other parts of the world too.

“The opportunity to have Matthew Flinders’ remains returned to his family home should not be underestimated.”

Mrs Pearson, who has been working on the event for five years, added: “The Matthew Flinders event is going to be huge for the village of Donington.

“We are delighted to have had such wonderful support from South Holland District Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.”

The church and village will become a hive of activity at the weekend when the Captain Matthew Flinders reburial event begins.

The three day event begins with a children’s church service on Friday, before dignitaries from the United Kingdom, Lincolnshire, South Holland, Australia and Mauritius, along with descendants of Matthew Flinders and members of the military will attend the reburial event on Saturday.

The whole village will play a part in the day, with an additional family event also taking part on Flinders Park from 12pm.

On Sunday, a special holy communion will take place to draw the celebrations to a close.

For more information visit www.matthewflinders.net

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