IT’S not every day you see Prince Charles holding up a football shirt, wearing a Clarets’ badge on his lapel and sporting a tie and pocket handkerchief in club colours.

And even if he doesn’t actually buy a season ticket, people throughout Burnley will be pleased to see his show of solidarity with the team at the town’s heart.

But there is also a serious side to this visit: the welcome support the Prince is giving to vitally-needed regeneration work in the borough.

The fact that he is putting so much personal effort into giving Burnley a more promising future has a really positive impact by raising the area’s profile – not least among movers and shakers around the country who will hopefully follow his lead.

But his input isn’t just about words.

It is also the practical steps being taken by the Prince’s Trust to get things done.

Headteacher Mrs Wendy Tracey summed up the key aspect of how he is helping when she said that when she visited Clarence House, “the Prince said he wanted to support us but he wanted to see action.”

And action is just what the people of East Lancashire want and need.