The Princess Royal visited Cromer today to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI).
She is the royal patron of the charity, which has five stations along the Norfolk coast.
The Princess Royal visited the NCI's Cromer station, in Beach Road, East Runton, this morning - meeting with the Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk, The Lady Dannatt, and the charity's dedicated volunteers.
She travelled to the Norfolk coast by helicopter, landing on the Runton Road car park on the cliffs of Cromer where she was picked up and escorted to the station.
Richard Leeds, station manager at NCI Cromer, showed her around the station's watch room where she was briefed about the life-saving work of the highly trained volunteer watchkeepers.
The Princess Royal later attended a reception at The Cliftonville Hotel, where she met with NCI station managers and volunteers from across East Anglia.
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Stephen Hand, chairman of the NCI, said: “What a wonderful start to the year in which we will celebrate our 30th anniversary of helping to keep people safe on the coast and save lives at sea by maintaining a daily visual and radio watch.
"It’s a huge source of pride that HRH The Princess Royal is our patron and that she takes such an active interest in our work.
"Her visits are always a great boost for our volunteers and all our friends and supporters in the local communities.”
Mr Leeds added: "It's a real privilege and pleasure to welcome The Princess Royal to the town."
It was her sixth visit to an NCI station in the last 12 months.
A plaque was unveiled to commemorate the visit, which will be placed in the Cromer station.
There was also a presentation of three long service awards to Glenice Knight, John Wootten and Andrew Pearcey, who have each volunteered for five years.
Today also saw the Princess Royal visit Norwich Prison. She is patron of the National Association of Official Prison Visitors.
She also visited the Norfolk Schools Sailing Association base in Filby, near Great Yarmouth to open its new facilities.
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The history of the National Coastwatch Institution
Formed in 1994, the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
The charity was established when two fishermen lost their lives off the Cornish coast nearby to a recently closed His Majesty's Coastguard lookout.
In an effort to restore the observation post, local people approached HM Coastguard, and negotiated the opening of the first NCI station at Bass Point on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall.
Today, the NCI has 2,700 highly trained watchkeepers, working from 60 stations around England and Wales.
The charity has five stations along the Norfolk coast at Brancaster, Wells-next-the-Sea, Cromer, Mundesley and Gorleston - as well as a station in Felixstowe, Suffolk.
The watchkeepers are all volunteers and are the eyes and ears along the coast, trained in maritime surveillance and licensed to broadcast, transmit and receive radio calls.
The NCI’s prime objective is the protection and preservation of life at the coast.
The stations have HM Coastguard declared facility status, which means they are formally recognised as part of the UK’s maritime search and rescue organisation.
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