Amy Woodfield
BBC News

This special engagement card has been designed for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The design of the card was inspired by details the couple revealed in their recent television interview.

When the engagement was announced Harry said Meghan liked gold. He also said the couple camped under the stars in Botswana.

BBC Radio Nottingham will be getting people in the city to sign the card and pass on their best wishes to the royal couple.

Calum McKenzie
BBC News

These two students from the University of Nottingham set their alarms at 06:00 in order to get a prime spot to try to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Raushana Nurzhubalina, from Kazakhstan, and Jenn Galandy, from Canada, both said they felt it was an opportunity they could not miss.

“It is such an honour to see the royals,” Ms Nurzhubalina said.

“I’m also a fan of Suits, so it is a chance to see a star of that too.”

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Here's a little video preview of Harry and Meghan's Nottingham visit.

Bridget Blair
BBC Radio Leicester Reporter

There's still a feeling of celebration at Glenfield Hospital after the NHS confirmed it is keeping children's heart surgery at the Leicester unit.

Parents, staff and campaigners were "euphoric" at the news yesterday after years of campaigning.

Jamie and Jessica were in the children's intensive care unit with their 10-week-old baby Esme when the news was delivered.

Dad Jamie said: "We're absolutely over the moon that it's still here. We're really happy."

Student nurse Lucy Edwards said there was an upbeat atmosphere around work.

"I've loved every single minute I've been on the ward. It's really made me realise how much it needed to stay open and I'm so relieved at the decision."

The decision to keep surgery at the East Midlands Congenital Heart Unit open is conditional on the hospital achieving "full compliance with the standards".

Chris Doidge
Political reporter, BBC Radio Derby

Derby City Council has formally submitted plans for a new 50m swimming pool complex at Moorways - to itself.

The application says a future masterplan for the area could include more buildings which would increase income to the council.

Image source, Derby City Council

It also says the design of the new leisure centre would make further expansion relatively easy.

A decision from the council is expected by February.

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

About 100 people were forced to leave a hotel and neighbouring student accommodation in Nottingham after a fire broke out last night.

Fire fighters were called out to the Park Plaza Hotel in Maid Marian Way just after 21:00.

The students were allowed back in before midnight but many hotel guests had to spend the night in other accommodation including the Britannia Hotel.

The fire service says no-one was injured.

Liam Barnes
BBC News Online

Well-wishers have already started to arrive in Nottingham to catch a glimpse of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Helena Bottomley, Zoe Scott and Carole Bingham say they “dropped everything” to come along, once it was announced the prince and Meghan would be coming to the city.

The friends, who are from East and West Bridgford, have also seen the Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they visited.

Ms Scott said: “We love the royals. We are genuinely happy for Harry.”

“We all had our children at the same time as Diana [Princess of Wales] so we feel a real allegiance. She would be so thrilled," said Ms Bottomley.

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

Derbyshire Police have launched their Christmas drink-driving awareness campaign, external.

This year's push has seen the force produce a video featuring children using toys to tell the story of a crash caused by a drink-driver.

Sgt Steve Hughes, from the roads policing unit, said he hoped the clip would make people "sit up and take notice".

Warning: Third party content may contain adverts.

Last December there were more than 20 crashes in the county caused by drink or drug drivers, with 43 people giving a positive breath test or refusing/being unable to take the test.

Calum McKenzie
BBC Local Live

A memorial to "England's heaviest police officer", who is thought to be the inspiration behind the Laughing Policeman song, is to be unveiled.

PC John "Tubby" Stephens, who weighed 24 stone 3lbs (154kg), served as an officer in Leicester for 22 years during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

He was known for having a "larger-than-life" character and people would regularly ask for photos with him.

About 10,000 people lined the city's streets for his funeral., external

Despite his popularity, Stephens, who died in 1908, aged 48, was buried in an unmarked grave in Leicester.

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

Prince Harry and his new fiancee Meghan Markle are due in Nottingham shortly for their first official engagement together.

Kensington Palace said the couple, who announced their engagement on Monday, will start the tour with a civic welcome at the National Justice Museum in High Pavement.

This will be followed by a walkabout where they have the opportunity to greet members of the public as a couple for the first time.

The pair will then visit the Nottingham Contemporary gallery, which is hosting a Terrence Higgins Trust World Aids Day charity fair.

They will also head to the Nottingham Academy to meet headteachers taking part in the Full Effect programme.

The project provides early intervention and training to children and young people in the St Ann's area of Nottingham who may become involved in youth violence and crime.

Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter

Here's what Friday has in store for us.

Gavin Bevis
BBC Local Live

Hi everyone and welcome to today's news, sport, travel and weather updates for the East Midlands.