A NEW borough-wide planning group has been set up to co-ordinate a programme of events and activities around the life of Mayflower pilgrim Myles Standish.

Next year is the 350th anniversary of Myles Standish -- strongly believed to be born within the borough.

Chorley Borough Council, the Chorley Partnership and local history groups will come together to celebrate his local links which could turn the town into a magnet for American tourists.

The Myles group is looking at the full range of events that could make up a possible festival, including an exhibition, a pilgrim trail, an American music concert, as well as a publication. The group will also be investigating the impact the Duxbury-based Standish family will have on visitor numbers to the area, if the American links are developed fully.

The ancestors of Pilgrim Father Myles Standish are thought to have been buried beneath St Laurence's Church, Chorley, 400 years ago.

And though many people in Chorley and the US believe the historical figure who travelled over there on the Mayflower in 1620, was born at Duxbury Hall, Chorley, the Isle of Man also lays claim to him.

In a bid to prove his origins once and for all, church bosses are working with Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle to gain Home Office permission to dig up the Standish bones for DNA testing.

Chris Mellor, the council's cultural services manager and co-ordinator of the group, said: "The Pilgrim Fathers' link with Duxbury gives rise for us to celebrate another of Chorley's greats, which is part of our five year cultural strategy.

"This cultural heritage project has the possibility of being a tourist flagship for the whole North West. We are involving all our partners at a local and regional level in the discussions."

Further plans for a Myles Standish festival will be announced at the end of October.