King Charles coronation: Devon charity worker's joy at invite

Jan Webber said she "had a little panic" when confirming her attendance for the King's coronation

A community champion selected to attend the King's coronation has said she plans to "soak up the atmosphere" at the historic ceremony.

Jan Webber, from Sidmouth in Devon, was invited in honour of her services to women in the maritime sector.

Ms Webber said it was "amazing" to be part of "a moment in history".

Max Woosey, known as The Boy in the Tent, is also among the invitees from Devon.

King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, have invited 850 people to the 6 May ceremony in recognition of their charitable services.

The group includes 450 British Empire Medal recipients and 400 young people from groups chosen by the Royal Family.

'Little panic'

Ms Webber, director of development at Mission to Seafarers - an international charity supporting people at sea, said the invite came via email.

However, the British Empire Medal recipient said she missed the first invite and had to rush to respond to a follow-up email.

"I had to respond in two hours, so I had a little panic to get the response in," she said.

"But what a moment in history to be able to attend the coronation... to be present in the abbey and to really soak up the atmosphere is going to be an incredible experience," she added.

Ms Webber said the work of seafarers was often "off the radar" but people "totally depend on seafarers for more than 90% of fuels and goods".

Buckingham Palace said many of the 450 BEM recipients chosen to attend the coronation had been "instrumental in providing services and support to their local communities during the Covid-19 lockdowns".

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].