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Published:
April 24, 2009
In
photos: Drama during Prince Edward's visit to Burnham-On-Sea
Click
here for a gallery of photos of the Prince's visit to Burnham
Drama
occurred during Prince Edward's visit to Burnham-On-Sea's rescue
hovercraft station on Friday (April 24th) when crews were called
out to an actual incident on the mudflats at Brean.
 The
Earl Of Wessex was visiting the seafront headquarters of BARB
to mark the fifth anniversary of the Spirit Of Lelaina hovercraft
going into service.
After
meeting crewmembers of BARB and Burnham Coastguards, an emergency
call came in from Brean's beachwarden after he spotted two people
in difficulty in the mud - more
here.
Prince
Edward was on the jetty at the time, watching a training exercise
involving the Light Of Elizabeth hovercraft, when the crew of
The Spirit of Lelaina and Coastguards rushed to Brean.
 Earlier,
the Earl Of Wessex had landed in a helicopter at the BAY Centre
where he met Chairman Julia Elswood, Vice Chairman Mike Lang and
treasurer Paul Taylor.
The
Prince was met at the hovercraft station by a group of civic dignitaries,
including Burnham-On-Sea's Mayor Cllr Peter Burridge-Clayton and
Mayoress Jo Burridge-Clayton, plus Sedgemoor District Council's
Chairman Cllr Dennis Davey and his wife Janet.
A
group of more than 130 schoolchildren from St Joseph's School
were also on hand to cheer on the VIP guest on the seafront.
The
Prince met BARB's President Neville Jones and Chairman Mark Newman,
along with volunteer crewmembers.
He
heard about the work of The Spirit Of Lelaina, which is named
after five-year-old Lelaina Hall who died on the mudflats in 2002.
 He
also met Caroline Hall, mother of little Lelaina, and her family
(pictured right).
The
Earl also visited Burnham Coastguard station, where he heard about
the positive impact the hovercrafts have had in speeding up rescues
on the mudflats.
A
special plaque was unveiled outside the hovercraft station before
he walked onto the seafront to watch the training exercise.
The
two people at the centre of Brean's incident on the mudflats managed
to escape without injury after being briefly stranded in the mud
besides the Down while on a fishing trip.
The
Prince with BARB President Neville Jones and Chairman Mark Newman
during Friday's visit to Burnham hovercraft station
Over
100 schoolchildren from St Joseph's School met the Prince on the
seafront
The
Prince was introduced to Burnham-On-Sea's Mayor Cllr Peter Burridge-Clayton
and Mayoress Jo Burridge-Clayton
Prince
Edward also met Sedgemoor District Council's Chairman Cllr Dennis
Davey and his wife Janet
RELATED
LINKS:
More
photos of Prince Edward's visit to Burnham
Video
highlights of Prince Edward's visit to Burnham
BBC Online coverage of Prince Edward's visit [External link]
Burnham-On-Sea Hovercraft Web site
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