HRH The Duke of Gloucester visited County Durham today (March 2).

The Queen’s cousin flew to the region by helicopter even though bad weather in London almost jeopardised the whole visit.

The former architect officially re-opened The Witham, in Barnard Castle, following its £3.2 million regeneration of the arts and community venue in 2013.

He met the architects responsible for the regeneration of the Grade II listed building while also having the chance to watch shadow theatre staged by local children from the Kando Youth Theatre Company and hear a recital from The Witham’s marketing and administration intern, Maddy Sutton, 23.

Ceramic artist, Judy Caplin, also designed a commemorative tile featuring a ‘fossilised’ fern, which was presented to the duke at the end of his tour while he also unveiled a commemorative plaque and signed the visitor’s book.

Katie Taylor, The Witham CEO, said: “It’s a real honour and it’s such a great mark of respect.

“We were really pleased about his architectural background because architecture is vital to what we do.”

While in the town, the duke also popped in Barnard Castle School, where he met headteacher Alan Stevens to officially open their new sixth form centre and hundreds of children greeted him waving their Union Jack flags.

Earlier in day, the duke also unveiled a commemorative plaque at Consett Sports Centre and Consett Academy.

The £44m development was completed in the summer and combines cutting edge education and modern leisure facilities.

During his visit, the duke was taken on a tour of the building, where he saw students at work in the academy’s science laboratory and ‘Innovation Zone’ as well as people using the leisure centre’s pools, squash courts and fitness equipment.

Consett Academy, sponsored by New College Durham and Durham County Council, was created in January 2012 by merging Consett Community Sports College and Moorside Community Technology College and students moved into their new building in September.

The adjoining leisure centre, which opened in July 2015, is used by students, as part of their lessons and out-of-school activities, local sports clubs and the wider community.

The centre, which is owned by Durham County Council and managed by Leisureworks, boasts two swimming pools, an eight-court sports hall, squash courts, dance studios, a gymnasium and a full-size floodlit artificial 4G rugby pitch.

The duke said: “Many years ago, I studied architecture so I am always pleased to see the use of buildings in new and imaginative ways.

“I am delighted that the academy not only proves to students that their education is being taken seriously, but also gives them an opportunity to learn in an environment where they feel as though they have everything they need.”