Prince of Wales to visit Morecambe

Prince Charles will be in town on Friday July 8, firstly to visit the Winter Gardens as they mark their 125th anniversary, before heading to Morecambe Fire Station, to mark 21 years of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) and The Prince’s Trust jointly delivering their Team Programme.

At the Winter Gardens, the Prince will be greeted by Prof Vanessa Toulmin, chair of the Winter Gardens Preservation Trust.

Before a tour of the theatre, he will meet with staff and volunteers from Morecambe Bay Foodbank, a project founded by local churches and community groups, working together to stop hunger in the local area.

With organist Peter Jepson playing a five-minute melody, the Prince will then begin a tour of the Grade II listed building. He will see first-hand the extensive restoration which has undergone, including tiling by Burmantoft of Leeds.

During his tour, the Prince of Wales will meet the restoration and maintenance team, each of whom are working on the building to restore it to its former glory.

Prince Charles will then move into the main auditorium, meeting with local organisations.

He will first meet with and receive a presentation from LiNa Energy founders and staff. LiNa is a commercial spin-out of Lancaster University and they are pioneering technology in the creation of sodium-nickel-chloride batteries.

The Prince of Wales will be shown a technical demonstration of how the LiNa batteries are manufactured, with the presentation showing their sustainability and cost benefits.

He will then receive a short presentation from Eden Project North, a project which aims to regenerate the area and bring forward economic opportunities to the region.

The Prince of Wales will meet with staff, understanding how they are incorporating new technologies in the creation of the attraction.

Concluding the visit, the Prince will move to the Royal Box in the auditorium, unveiling a plaque to mark the 125th anniversary of the Winter Gardens.

Before departing to Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Prince Charles will make a short walk to the car, past Brucciani’s famous ice cream shop, a family-owned enterprise which has been making ice cream in Morecambe for more than 100 years.

At Morecambe Fire Station, the Prince will tour the premises, watch a short display and meet with young people who are taking part in the Prince’s Trust programme, alongside alumni.

He will be greeted on arrival by chief fire officer Justin Johnston, and will meet with LFRS staff and Prince’s Trust representatives.

The Prince will then sit down with 10 young people who are currently taking part in the team programme, alongside team alumni. The young people will explain the various elements of team, as well as how the programme has helped improve their skills and confidence.

The Prince of Wales will then watch a short display which will involve the young people from The Prince’s Trust. At the front of the fire station he will unveil a plaque marking the 21st anniversary of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and The Prince’s Trust running the team programme, before marking the occasion with a photo with the young people and the LFRS team.