The Princess Royal was today due to put on a hard hat and take the controls of a JCB digger in a west Oxfordshire village.

She was visiting Kingham, near Chipping Norton, just before noon to perform a "turf-turning" ceremony to mark the start of the second phase of a vital village housing scheme.

The Princess was also planning to meet residents who have already moved in to phase one of the Rural Housing Trust's project at Meadow Way.

She is president of the trust which has so far piloted a total of 159 affordable homes in Oxfordshire to meet local housing needs in small villages.

The houses are only available to people who have a strong local connection to their parishes. At Meadow Way, six homes have already been provided and a further seven are to be built under a rent and shared-ownership scheme.

Expecting a visit today from the Princess are residents who have already benefited from the scheme - Lisa Harding, partner Simon Barrett and their four-year-old daughter Lauren.