Delegates from the annual UK Laurel and Hardy Convention will be donning the famous bowler hats and suits for a flying visit to town.

As part of the 30th yearly gathering of Stan and Ollie fans, centred around Stan's hometown of Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands, the festivities will make a brief stop-off at the Winter Gardens in Morecambe on Sunday afternoon.

There the delegates will watch a special tribute play called 'Laurel and Charlie', before visiting the Eric Morecambe Statue to pay tribute to our town's own favourite comic son.

This Morecambe visit is particularly poignant because Stan and Ollie themselves once performed at the Winter Gardens in 1947. Two of the convention organisers are Morecambe musician Cameron Seddon and Dave Wilkinson from Hest Bank.

These two Laurel and Hardy fanatics are members of Lancaster and Morecambe's own branch (or 'tent') of the UK Laurel and Hardy fan club 'The Sons of the Desert - called 'Chickens Come Home' (named after a Laurel and Hardy film from 1931). Cameron will also perform with his band 'Matt and Cam' (also featuring Matt Appleton) when the convention kicks off on Friday at the Cumbria Grand Hotel in Grange.

Other events will include a visit to the Laurel and Hardy Museum in Ulverston and a pilgrimage to Stan's old house in the village.
The convention promises to be a fantastic four days of fun, although open only to official members of the 'Sons of the Desert'.

But with delegates expected to attend from as far afield as Germany and America, Sunday is bound to be a colourful and unique day on Morecambe prom.

And it will be anything but 'another fine mess they've got us into'!