This year’s Remembrance Day service in Exmouth will be an invite-only event this year due to coronavirus restrictions.

Usually thousands descend on the war memorial in The Strand to mark the annual service, however this year only selected guests will be able to attend.

Parades and general commemoration gatherings have all been stood down due to social distancing guidelines and formal meetings of more than six people is strongly discouraged.

This year will see invited guests – all of whom have their own allotted space - attend the service on Sunday, November 5.

Among the invited guests will be East Devon MP Simon Jupp, the deputy lord lieutenant of Devon and chairman of East Devon District Council Cathy Gardner.

Only certain guests will be able to lay wreaths on the day, with Cllr Gazzard and town crier Roger Bourgein laying wreaths on behalf of the town council and the Guild of Town Criers on Thursday, November 5.

The mayor will say a few words at the service on the Sunday.

He said: “This year’s ceremony will be so very different from other years when the residents of Exmouth have always turned out in force and all ages have participated in the parade.

“We will do our very best to represent you and in order to comply with the Covid-19 social distancing measures, would ask that local residents consider acknowledging the two minutes silence from their doorstep.”

The service and wreath laying will begin at 10.40am with a safety briefing followed by the parade being brought to attention by parade marshal Rob Hollman.

A bugler will perform The Last Post and the exhortation will be read out by Barry George, president of Exmouth Royal British Legion.

This will be followed at 11am by a two-minute silence, a performance of Reveille and the reading of the Kohima Epitaph by Neil Gregory, chairman of Exmouth Royal British Legion.

After the wreath laying - announced by town crier Rgoer Bourgein - there will be speeches by the chaplain and East Devon MP Simon Jupp.

The service will finish with the Lord’s Prayer, The Blessing and the National Anthem.