Falmouth's dignitaries will be hoping for fine weather this Sunday (April 15) as they grant the town's highest honour to a naval vessel.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Mounts Bay is to be granted the Freedom of Falmouth, during a ceremony and service beginning at 3pm.

Falmouth mayor Roger Bonney will be joined by the town's councillors and town clerk Mark Williams for the ceremony at Events Square.

At 2.50pm the standard bearers and the HMS Seahawk Volunteer Band will be in position for the town councillors to parade to the platform, followed by the town macebearers, Mr Bonney and Mr Williams. There will then be a flypast by HMS Seahawk from RNAS Culdrose.

On the stroke of 3pm, the ceremony will commence with prayers by the mayor's chaplain, Rev Stephen Tudgey, before Mr Bonney introduces Captain Ross Ferris, the commanding officer at RFA Mounts Bay, and gives an outline of the ceremony. Town clerk Mr Williams will then read the Freedom Document and Mr Bonney will receive the approval of the town council to present the document to Captain Ferris.

Captain Ferris will subsequently hand the Freedom Document to the chief executive officer at RFA Mounts Bay, with drummers and standard bearers in position. The Freedom Document will be paraded around the assembled gusts with the flags flying and the drums beating, before it is returned to the platform.

Finally, Mr Bonney will close the ceremony by inviting guests to a cream tea in the library of the National Maritime Museum Cornwall and requesting that everyone stand for the march past by the standard bearers with the HMS Seahawk Volunteer Band.

If the weather is wet, a shorter version of the service will be held in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.