MALDON met Malden as a councillor from across the pond paid a visit to the town.

Maldon District Council chairman Kevin Lagan welcomed Stephen Winslow, council president in Malden, Massachusetts, to the town.

Local historian and broadcaster Stephen Nunn, together with Mr Lagan, took Mr Winslow on a guided tour of Maldon.

He then met with town mayor Andrew Lay, who took him to the Plume Library and the Moot Hall.

The tour went from All Saints to the Hythe, along the Downs, up Market Hill and Cromwell Hill.

Maldon has many connections to the U.S dating back to the early 17th century, as shared by Mr Nunn.

During the Second World War many Maldonians and Americans stood side by side in adversity.

A number of airfields were constructed across East Anglia, maintained entirely by U.S. personnel.

They came to Maldon to the cinema, attended local dances and introduced the populace to stockings, Coke-a-Cola, chewing gum Hershey bars and, we are told, were particularly kind to our local girls.

In 1971, on the eve of Maldon’s Octocentenary – the mayor of Malden, Massachusetts, Walter J. Kelliher, wrote to the town about “continued friendly relations between our peoples and our countries, so that peace and brotherhood may flourish throughout the earth”.