Children to join Southampton's Titanic parade

Children are to parade through the streets of Southampton later to mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's departure from the city.

More than 600 children will hold up pictures of the ship's crew.

The parade will finish at the new SeaCity Museum, which will be formally opened by Olympian James Cracknell.

The £15m museum, which was formerly home to Southampton's law courts and police station, contains a permanent exhibition about the Titanic.

The ill-fated ship set sail on its maiden voyage from the city's White Star Docks on 10 April 1912 and sank five days later after hitting an iceberg.

According to Southampton City Council, of the 897 RMS Titanic crew members, 714 were from Southampton. In total, 685 crew members lost their lives, with 538 registered to a Southampton addresses.

The parade, organised by the council and the BBC, is due to start at 12:30 BST at the Titanic Engineers' Memorial in East Park.

The official opening of the museum is due to take place after the procession arrives at 13:00.

Visitors with pre-booked tickets will then be able to get their first glimpse inside the museum.