Residents invited to remember naval hero at Trafalgar Day service

Representatives from the Royal British Legion, the Mayor's Chaplain Revd Albert Cadmore and dignitaries will all attend to show their respects.

The service, led by Canon Simon Ward of Great Yarmouth Minster, is open to all who wish to honour Horatio Nelson, who was killed by a French sniper at the Battle of Trafalgar, on October 21, 1805.

The Norfolk Naval Pillar on Monument Road marks Nelson's four main naval victories, at the Nile, Copenhagen, St Vincent, and Trafalgar. It is topped with the figure of Britannia and the motto from Nelson's coat of arms.

The event will start with a procession from South Beach Parade to the monument. Shots of rum - or orange juice if preferred - will be available to toast Nelson's immortal memory.

Cllr Penny Carpenter, the mayor of the Great Yarmouth borough, will lay a wreath at the base of the column on behalf of the people of the borough. The service will also include hymns and prayers.

Mayor Carpenter said: "Trafalgar Day holds a special place in our hearts as it pays tribute to the remarkable victory achieved by Admiral Lord Nelson and his brave crew at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. It is a day when we come together as a community to honour the enduring spirit of courage, unity and resilience that has defined our great nation for centuries.

"As well as Admiral Nelson, we remember those who gave their lives and their health to defend the essential freedoms that we treasure today."

The pillar stands at 144ft tall. It was paid for by public donations at a cost of £7,000 to commemorate Nelson after his death at the Battle of Trafalgar and was completed in 1819 - 21 years before London's Trafalgar Square monument.

Nelson was born at Burnham Thorpe in north Norfolk and visited Great Yarmouth numerous times during his career and was given the Freedom of the Borough. The fleet for the Battle of Copenhagen was prepared at Great Yarmouth and landed back in the port victorious.