Prince Edward is visiting Burnham-on-Sea's hovercraft station to mark the 5th anniversary of The Spirit Of Lelaina rescue hovercraft going into service.

The Duke of Wessex, below, will be arriving at the seafront headquarters of Burnham-on-Sea Area Rescue Boat (BARB), the charity that operates two lifesaving rescue hovercrafts, on April 24.

The Earl of Wessex will be greeted by a group of civic dignitaries, followed by BARB president Neville Jones and BARB chairman Mark Newman.

During the visit, the Prince will also meet volunteer crew members and hear about the work of The Spirit Of Lelaina rescue hovercraft.

The craft is named after five-year-old Lelaina Hall, who died on the mudflats at nearby Berrow in 2002. It was bought with money raised by readers of our sister paper the Western Daily Press after it launched a fund raising campaign.

The Prince will also visit Burnham Coastguards to hear about the positive impact the hovercrafts have had in speeding up rescues on the mudflats. He will also unveil a plaque at the hovercraft station, before watching a training exercise involving BARB's second hovercraft, The Light of Elizabeth.