Weymouth 'sandman' celebrates Coronation with sculpture of King Charles III

As King Charles III is crowned as Britain's new monarch today (6 May), a man in Weymouth is marking the celebration in sand.

Mark Anderson has been creating magnificent sculptures for 35 years and is making sure King Charles can be seen in sand form for the Coronation.

It is a family affair for Mark. He learnt the technique from his grandfather, who started practicing the art himself in the 1920s.

Mr Anderson joined his grandfather back in 1988 as an apprentice and worked with him for eight years before becoming his co-sculptor. 

The promenade down towards the pavilion has been decorated with the traditional sculptures for the last 100 years thanks to the pair.

Mark says he usually works to a theme. Speaking of the King's Coronation, he said it is "a rare occasion - once in a lifetime almost - it's a very appropriate theme to sculpt."

The royal work was started around a month ago, and Mark says it is going "really well."

He finished off the sculpture today by making the shoes and the lower part of the monarch's cloak.

The piece is a collaborative effort with friend Annette Rydin, which was started around a month ago and has so far taken around 120 hours using 50 or 60 tonnes of sand.

It is set to stay in place for the summer season, until September.

Mark started the tourist attraction Sandworld in 2011, where people can see more works of art and try to create their own.

He says the sand in Weymouth is special and that people from across the country make sure they come to visit.

"We've got the best sand in the world and we can create these amazing sculptures", he said.

"Come down and visit because it's a great place."